Buy this Record HereFind Xavier Rudd on MyspaceXavier Rudd is quoted as saying "There's a lot of sunshine on this record." Dark Shades of Blue does not, for me, refer to blue music... but rather the shades at the depths of the ocean.
Xavier Rudd - activist, surfer and full-time self-proclaimed bare-footer - is an exceptionally creative and talented individual who delivers an impactful and spiritual but never stale or preachy performance throughout "Dark Shades of Blue." He deftly walks the lines of Folk, Rock and Reggae while incorporating elements of Dance and World music to more up-beat tracks.
To get a sense of what to expect from "Dark Shades of Blue" the best thing to do is take a walk down the strand in Venice, CA (or your equivalent surf town full of restaurants, music and street performers). Keep your ears open to the sounds of the world and you'll hear the influences of Xavier Rudd - people, living with the earth.
At times, this album does get a little repetative in sound as the songs jam-out a bit. For me, the absolute top stand-out tracks include the 6 minute Reggae jam "Secrets," the dancy rocker, "The World as We Know It" and the final folk anthem "Home."
Anti- records is one of my absolute favorite record labels. Under the Epitaph umbrella, they pride themselves on interesting, good music of many genres. While it may not be what we all think of as ROCK I will continue to bring you reviews from them as long as they're nice enough to send me more CDs to enjoy.
