Australian singer-songwriter multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd says a lot with the title of this, his 7th record, for Dark Shades of Blue is dusky and cool, more sober than any work he’s ever done, though don’t mistake it for temperate. Guitar-driven jams introduce us to a side of Xav only hinted at on earlier releases. Distortion often supplants the pretty jangly guitars heard before, yet the variety and effect of different instruments and voices remains, making this album seem less like world music, and more like a global record. The dual messages of responsibility and exultation persevere, but couched here in deep, serious songwriting. From the opening notes of “Black Water” to the title track to the rocking “Up In Flames,” it is clear that Dark Shades of Blue is something different and thrilling from an artist who has always carved his own way. Mixed by Joe Barresi (Tool, Queens of the Stone Age)
