Dark Shades of Blue

Simply one of the best albums of the year, powerful, full of ideas, well played.....

Compared to Xavier Rudd's larger body of work, "Dark Shades of Blue" languishes in a slump. I first want to establish that I adore Xavier Rudd; I enjoy his live show and I was enthralled by many of his earlier albums like "White Moth" and "Solace." What is the issue? It's hard to say. This pleasant album features all of the typical elements of a good Xavier Rudd release. It features Rudd's killer slide guitar, a good overall sound, the infusion of aboriginal sounds and his environmental consciousness. In this respect, "Dark Shades of Blue" seems a bit redundant. It is more of the same without taking things to the next level. What's ultimately missing is compelling song writing. 'Blackwater' is an amazing, jamband friendly instrumental piece that rocks hard. The rest of the selections are song oriented and the tunes just aren't that good. Hey you win some and you lose some. Before this effort, his albums made a straight flush. Let's hope that after the current tour, Xavier Rudd recharges his batteries and returns with anther exciting album.

I should preface this review by stating I'm a loyal fan who has attended several live performances and regard Xavier Rudd as one of my most followed artists. However, this album is very different from previous releases. It is dark, loud, and in my opinion cluttered.
Xavier Rudd commented recently: "We captured what we do live, the thickness of it, the tone. I think we finally achieved what I've always wanted to hear on my recordings." One must respect the artist's thoughts regarding his own work, and to some point, it's quite interesting to know that he regards this as his live sound captured in a studio album. I've been to several live shows and Xavier Rudd is often alone, playing Didgeridoo, Lapsteel, Harmonica, Tongue drum, and guitar. On the Food in your Belly Tour he also added a drummer. His sound is simple but complicated as he predominantly plays all of the music himself simultaneously. This new album features bass guitar, electric, keyboards, and several ambient sounds that are unconventional to his sound. This provided a heavy, loud, and aggressive sound that often times sounded busy or cluttered to me. Some may have been waiting for an album like this, but I myself prefer his traditional sound.
In conclusion, if you are starting to listen to Xavier Rudd and don't have the ability to get to a live show, then Good Spirit is a great live album to start with. As for studio releases, it doesn't get much better than Food in the Belly or White Moth. All three of these titles are excellent and clearly merit five star rating in this format. Bottom line, get to a live show. Xavier is very accessible as most shows are general admission.

This album is moody, heavy and emotional. I thought it was about time he tried something different and it works great.