Kirk Adams and Ed Woltil - Eat The Sunshine, Drink The Starshine

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 7 / 9 / 2025

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Ed Woltil is no stranger to Pennyblack Music; both his solo work and his collaborations with Steve Robinson have been covered here in the past. For his latest release Woltil has joined forces with another St. Petersburg, Florida musician, Kirk Adams, a new name to these parts but well-known on the Tampa Bay music scene and who has released a handful of albums which after a quick, cursory listen demand to be investigated further. Having heard just a sample of Adams music it’s no great surprise that he’s making music with Woltil, they obviously share a love of the same type of music. It wasn’t until the pandemic and what turned into weekly meetings at a local coffee house that the two musicians finally decided to combine their talents and make an album together. ‘Eat The Sunshine, Drink The Starshine’ is the result and what a collection of shiny little gems it’s turned out to be. Twelve tracks, the majority of instruments played by Woltil and Adams, produced by the pair, mixed by Woltil and Brian Merrill and mastered by Steve Connelly, those are names that will be familiar to anyone who has been following the music careers of Woltil or Robinson. But maybe not as familiar as a couple of guests that Adams and Woltil have featured on a few tracks. Dave Gregory (XTC) adds his distinctive lead guitar playing to four tracks and Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention) handles the drums and percussion on one song. Drummer Joey Interrante who has worked with Adams before also lends his talents to a track. It’s a measure of their talent and how respected they are that Woltil and Adams can call upon musicians of this caliber to help out. We’ve noted before that Woltil’s solo work, and also his collaborations with Steve Robinson, reveal his love of classic English pop music. Comparisons have been made to the writing of Lennon and McCartney, Difford and Tilbrook and even Ray Davies and this still shines through with Woltil’s collaboration here with Adams. Opener ‘Almost Home’ kicks off proceedings and thoughts of The Beatles creep in immediately; the period when they were developing from a pop band into a more creative, experimental unit. It’s an infectious slice of pop/psych which harks back to those glorious sunny sixties while still sounding fresh. The song also provides the album with its title. A brilliant start to the album and a song that draws you in, it can’t get better than this surely… Then ‘Soul Recovery’ kicks in, second track and you’re totally sold; a contagious melody, (this album proves to be full of them, tunes that just latch onto the listener and won’t let go) lyrics that go deeper than the shiny, happy vibes the song radiates (another facet of many of the songs here) and whoever takes the lead guitar on this and track one (it’s not Gregory) deserves the highest praise. There are albums that are so damn good and uplifting that it’s difficult to get past the first couple of songs without replaying them again immediately; welcome to ‘Eat The Sunshine, Drink The Starshine’, it took three repeated plays of that opening duo of songs before I could move on to track three. They are so catchy, so much to discover, just brilliant crafted songs with depth and melodies to die for. When finally track three does get a chance it’s Dave Gregory who provides the lead guitar which lifts ‘It’s All Songs’ (an apt title) out of just another power-pop song into something special. With its ELO vocals, it’s another catchy song that’ll be rattling around inside your head for the rest of the day. Pop perfection. ‘How Do I Know’, featuring some lovely slide guitar, displays another side to Adams/Woltil ; less frantic than what has gone before but still as infectious as a cold there are gorgeous harmonies, brilliant guitar fills from Dave Gregory and proof that inspiration isn’t just limited to the English bands or composers mentioned earlier. ‘Last Call 4 Lost Dogs’ is another diversion. The vocals and guitar work are simply stunning; it’s an edgier duo displaying they are not stuck in a rut and are open to experimenting with different sounds while never losing that all important tune. ‘King Of All The Rotten Things’ is a highlight; the harmonies are superb, the lead vocal has you hanging on every word and another excellent Dave Gregory solo. The same can be said for ‘Funny Little Crying Sound’ , these guys really have produced one of the most melodic, lyrical albums of the year so far. It’s not just the melodies that draw the listener in, not just the emotive vocals or the outstanding playing by all the musicians involved, it’s the way Adams and Woltil have combined all those elements. ‘I Still Love You’ sounds like it was left off ‘Abbey Road’ or ‘All Things Must Pass’ such is the production, playing and performance; it’s simply beautiful. The album closes with the gentle ‘Soft Landing’ and if ‘Almost Home’ was the perfect introduction to ‘Eat The Sunshine, Drink The Starshine’ then they’ve chosen the right song to end this journey; again the vocals and guitar are exceptional and affecting and the listener is left with but one choice; to play the album again. It really is that addictive. The other thing this album leaves you with is the craving to check out more of Kirk Adams albums and hope that the two other projects that Ed Woltil is working on (one solo and one another collaboration with Steve Robinson) are not too far from completion. But for now ‘Eat The Sunshine, Drink The Starshine’ is essential daily listening.

Track Listing:-

1 Almost Home
2 Soul Recovery
3 It's All Songs
4 How Do I Know?
5 Last Call 4 Lost Dogs
6 Good To Be Back
7 King of All the Rotten Things
8 Funny Little Crying Sound
9 A Rumor of the Promised Land
10 I Still Love You
11 Where There's Smoke
12 Soft Landing

Band Links:-

https://kirkadamsedwoltil.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/edwoltilmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DNQS4H_ORUv/
https://www.kirkadamsmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kirkadamssongs
https://www.instagram.com/kirkadamssongs

Label Links:-

http://sunshinedrenchy.tumblr.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/sunshinedrenchy
http://www.last.fm/label/Sunshine+Drenchy+Records

Play in YouTube:-

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