Co-produced with Dave Ogilvie (yep, that one: the Skinny Puppy founder, producer, and sideman to David Bowie, Marilyn Manson, NIN, Mötley Crüe, and the Genitorturers must have found his feminine side), this collection is sincere, catchy, and beautifully and organically recorded in British Columbia - it's the recording Rudd has been trying to make since he came in from the waves. On White Moth he comes as close as possible to capturing his own live sound, where the immediacy of the performance quantifies with the clarity of the recording studio. While Paul Simon has clearly influenced him - especially in his vocal delivery - one can hear traces of everyone from Ben Harper to Ziggy Marley and Neil Young in his songs. He's made a career out of ethically correct, socially conscious narratives that have been at times preachy and bordering on trite (but then John Mayer's made a career out of it), though his melodies have been infectious and increasingly sophisticated in the manner in which he blends the various folk musics of Australia, rock, reggae, and blues. His live gigs get bigger and better (he's a true star attraction at Bonnaroo), and he's begun to craft his songs more tightly and purposefully, as evidenced by his U.S. His studio records - which until now have been inferior to his live performances (big surprise there) - have gained him stardom in his native land and a slowly and steadily growing fan base in the United States, primarily among his Generation Y contemporaries. On his initial live offering way back when, the word began to spread.
Rudd plays everything from Weissenborn guitars to didgeridoo, djembe, stomp boxes, and various sundry percussion instruments, and he plays them well. This is a contemplative set of music driven by a vigorous, pulsating heart.Xavier Rudd, the Australian-born surf bum cum multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, has been a critic's darling since he made his earliest forays onto tape back in 2001 with his Live in Canada offering. Rollicking tracks “Stargaze” and “Footprint” hint at more of a rock’n’roll sound on the artist’s horizon, and “Come Let Go” has the same mournful feel as Marley’s “No Woman No Cry.” The somber and beautiful “Land Rights,” the delicate flutterings of “Anni Kookoo,” and the sun-drenched didgeridoodling on “Message Stick” have distinctly different sounds, yet somehow evoke the same visceral response in the listener. “Better People” is a light-hearted nod to well meaning people, and has the lilting, feel-good essence of classic Paul Simon. His musical instincts and appreciation for old-fashioned hard rock licks, subtle blues flavors, and barbed reggae rhythms add a fired-up feel to the mix so you almost think he’s just having a good time. He's a multi-instrumentalist (bass, lap steel guitar, banjo, harmonica, didgeridoo, various percussion instruments, stompbox, etc.) whose musical creations are driven by his world view steeped in concepts of personal awareness and responsibility as they relate both to the planet and our neighbor next door. On White Moth, Xavier Rudd's fourth studio album, he feels freshly and wholly morphed as a solid, smart talent, making unique music that’s difficult to categorize.
0 kommentar(er)
