Xavier Rudd’s new album carries an aura of refreshment and rebirth – much like its namesake, the Koonyum Sun in New South Wales.
It’s a return to the upbeat sound from his earlier albums and a departure from Dark Shades of Blue. Rudd performs in Nanaimo at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre Saturday (May 7). Doors 8 p.m.
From 2002’s To Let, his first studio album, through to 2007’s White Moth, Rudd gradually refined his globally-influenced collage of world music – a mixture of reggae, funk, blues, folk and nearly every other sort of song – with the ability to stimulate people’s spirits.
With 2008’s Dark Shades of Blue, though, the world was welcomed into a darker, more somber side of Rudd’s music. The overall aura carried a different tinge compared to that of his previous work.
“Dark Shades Of Blue represented what was coming to me and it was something that I didn’t realize at the time,” said Rudd. “It was like I could feel the shudder of an earthquake, but I didn’t know it was coming.”
That metaphorical earthquake manifested in the form of the most tumultuous year in Rudd’s personal history, and one he was more than happy to put behind him when starting to pen Koonyum Sun.
He absorbs energy and influence from anywhere his music may take him – influences that stay with him and build up his body of cultural, spiritual, and musical experience.
Rudd believes his music is a gift from his ancestors and part of his journey is to share it and use it to connect with others.
Tickets are $36.50 and available at Lucid, online at www.cumberlandvillageworks.com or by calling 250-338-9996.