Steve Robinson and Ed Woltil Temporary Sun (Sunshine Drenchy Records)
Considered their third release, you might be one of a lucky few if you’re even familiar with either Ed Woltil or Steve Robinson. However, your appreciation for music of exceptional quality will be instantly enriched if you embrace what these two passionate wunderkinds have committed to record. Again.
To describe this release in one word? Glorious. That there are still musicians laboring away, clearly driven to follow their dreams to make music of such a lofty standard, is an uplifting realization. It also makes it difficult to critique – except to say, maybe, that’s there’s just not enough of this kind of music.
Credit is due to both Steve Robinson and Ed Woltil, longtime friends and musical collaborators with a history playing in a number of notable bands (The Ditchflowers, Mad for Elektra, The Headlights). While Temporary Sun follows 2022’s Shadow Play and 2015’s Cycle, both musicians have added multiple self-releases to their impressive catalogues.
Temporary Sun – all on its own – positively glistens with pop perfection. Killer hooks join addictive melodies to steal away any listener’s ability to do anything else but listen intently. Twelve new tracks combining smart lyrical content, phenomenal musicianship, heavenly harmonies and deft instrumental interplay deliver ear worms aplenty – from two supremely talented individuals who fit together like peas in the same pod. Their compositional skills, alone, elevate each and every co-written original and while their storied association with rock/folk-rock royalty – Dave Gregory (XTC) and Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention), who both contribute here – may sometimes detract from their own well-honed, creative synergy, the association sure doesn’t hurt. Yet, it is Robinson and Woltil’s own firm grasp on sophisticated levels of meticulously-detailed and intelligent pop mastery which have more than set the stage.
Beginning with one of the strongest tracks, “I Won’t Let Go” features Dave Mattacks (drums) and Steve’s daughter, Emma, on sweet, backing vocals. Robinson and Woltil sing and play everything else and – yes, it is Robinson’s distinctive, North London roots which betray his uncanny, Lennon-esque vocals, adding substantially to their sound and – thanks, too, to Ed – harmonies to die for.
Those are Dave Gregory’s razor-sharp guitar lines which power “Outrun the Sun” as Woltil assumes lead vocal duties. Less meaty than his partner’s and leaning more toward a tenor pitch, the song’s intricate components are far from typical pop – scintillating harmonies sending it over the top.
Pure Robinson-Woltil, the acoustic guitar intro to “Take Two if you Want One” again features that Beatle-esque, Robinson vocal (his enunciation of each lyric becomes almost poetic, adding another musical element) and a deep-burrowing chorus which helps transition this ‘quieter’ song into being one of Temporary Sun’s most memorable tracks. Nobody harmonizes like these two and – if anyone else hears a hint of “Nowhere Man,” you’re not alone.
With its almost-fairytale intro, “Learn by your Heart”, Woltil’s vocal melds nicely with this slightly slower-paced, almost slinky song. Gregory and Mattacks fly in their parts while added instrumentation fully fleshes out this ‘slight detour from the expected’ as lush harmonies are shadowed by Gregory’s sinewy guitar.
With its upbeat, Gregory-lead intro, “Strange Orchestra (Everyone’s a Song)” sets another gold standard. Strings and horns embellish this major production as Robinson’s vocal layers itself into multiple guitars (including Gregory on slide), complete with a chorus that locks onto your psyche and won’t let go too soon.
The perky “Junk Drawer Heart” – driven by Mattacks’ sturdy beat – sees Woltil’s lead vocal in its best light as a belittling tale of lost and forgotten love benefits from its skin-tight production and – always – the calibre of ‘the kind of harmonies you’ve always loved but haven’t heard for years’.
Both Gregory and Mattacks contribute to the haunting, “Famous Last Words” – another of the disc’s most exceptional songs. Robinson’s delicate vocal outlines the ups and downs, if not the decline of a relationship…”Going gone”. The instrumentation on this arrangement blends together so well as to border on becoming slightly syrupy – despite the darkness of its theme – as if to underline the depth and sadness of a betrayal. A lovely, liquid guitar solo goes a long way towards helping to cauterize old wounds.
A bit of a misfit, the quirky “The Man with the Interrupted Heart” borders on coming across as being somewhat vaudevillian. Overly buoyant, Woltil’s vocal nonetheless does an admirable job resuscitating smart lyrics depicting unrequited love and the sting felt in this still-hurtful flashback which has never quite healed.
The bittersweet “When We Were Kings” is another flashback to a time when both Woltil and Robinson (originally working together in Florida’s The Headlights) backed Roger McGuinn when he toured ‘91’s Back From Rio. Seemingly an apology of sorts, sounding heartfelt given a near-sensual delivery from Robinson, it seems a sad reflection on what could have been versus having ended on a sour, possibly acidic note. (Mr. Bassman is Mr. Spaceman?)
Despite the inclusion of Dave Gregory on “Perfect Day,” the lyrics have a strong, eau de Mary Poppins. Added keyboards and bells alter their sound somewhat, the harmonies are intact as Ed keeps things positive. A tasteful guitar break helps leaven the overall sugary-sweetness of the message, yet this song seems to fall short of their proven recipe.
From light to dark, “Mourning Mothers” tells the story of man’s inhumanity to man, yet uses imagery which accents the purely horrific aspects of the high costs of war and violence. Its slow, sad construction successfully parades the expressive, acerbic lyric while smart, angular guitar somehow amplifies the overall effect of how oblivious we seem to be to what has become so unthinkably commonplace.
“Squint” provides a fresh and novel approach on how to cope with (if not escape) society’s ills – as well as our own shortcomings – as Dave Gregory returns to lend an elegant, Harrison-like slide guitar accompaniment, keeping “the future looking bright.”
All in all, these two can do no wrong, it would seem. Any sidesteps are in the cause of moving forward and change is always good. However, their strongest suit is their musical relationship, which has proven anything but temporary, given a never-ending arsenal of imaginative songwriting ideas and ever-inventive level of inimitable musicianship.
Find more information here: https://www.steverobinsonmusic.com
All songs were written by Ed Woltil and Steve Robinson.
All instruments and vocals were preformed by Steve Robinson and Ed Woltil except:
Dave Gregory — Electric Lead and Slide Guitars (Tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 12)
Dave Mattacks — Drums and Percussion (Track 1, 4, 6 and 7)
Emma Robinson — Background Vocals (Track 1)
Recorded at their respective home studios in North Carolina and Wisconsin.