Xavier Rudd Turns Blue
Thursday July 10, 2008 @ 05:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Xavier Rudd

One-man band, multi-instrumentalist, didgeridoo enthusiast and Aussie folkster Xavier Rudd will release his seventh album, Dark Shades Of Blue, on Aug. 19 through Anti- Records.

The album was produced by Rudd, mixed by Joe Barresi (Queens Of The Stone Age, Tool) and recorded in the hippie hangout of Byron Bay, Australia. Touring drummer/percussionist Dave Tolley, who first guested on last year's White Moth, contributed instrumentation. First single "This World As We Know It" can be heard on Rudd's MySpace page. While the album is darker than anything he's previously recorded, he says it still has a lot of sunshine.

"There are a few different moods that come through it. There were a few different personal bridges I crossed last year, in terms of my family history. There’s a well-rounded emotional landscape to the songwriting, and down to the production of the album — I think we pulled it off."

Rudd was born 30 years ago in Torquay, Australia. He released his To Let debut album in Australia in 2002 and his 2004 live album, Solace, went platinum in his homeland. His most recent album is last year's White Moth. Rudd has become known for his unorthodox live set-up, where he plays a variety of guitars, several didgeridoos in different keys, harmonica, a stomp box and percussion — sometimes simultaneously. He's also an environmentalist and an outspoken advocate for the rights of Aboriginal Australians and Canadians.

Here are the songs on Dark Shades Of Blue:

• "Black Water"
• "Dark Shades Of Blue"
• "Secrets"
• "Guku"
• "Edge Of The Moon"
• "This World As We Know It"
• "Shiver"
• "Uncle"
• "Up In Flames"
• "Hope You'll Stay"
• "Home"

—Kate Harper