Xavier Rudd - White Moth

Xavier Rudd is my go-to feel good music. Whenever I can't think of anything else to put on in the background to lift or score the mood, it's Rudd's Food In The Belly. So, I was nervous before I listened to White Moth because I didn't know if Food In The Belly was a set standard or a fluke. Once I started listening, though, I immediately felt better.

The album starts off with hippie anthem "Better People. It's a simple song with an inspirational message that remains intact as long as you let it stay simple.

Quite often, when listening to Xavier Rudd, you feel like you're being spoken to directly. This is never more true than with "Choices," a personal-sounding song, like being spoken to directly by a motivational speaker who specializes in wisdom rather than flash and sparkle. Rudd wears the guru hat well.

Some of the album's songs sound inter-familiar. "Come Let Go," for instance, sounds a lot more like "Twist" than you would normally expect from two songs on the same album. After awhile, however, "Come Let Go" develops its own identity, becoming more song-circle anthemic.

"White Moth," on the other hand, is a softer song, creating a beautiful little hippie love song lullaby.

Not every song on White Moth is an introspective contemplation. "Footprints" is the kind of song whose lyrics you barely pay attention to because you're so busy moving along with its badass rhythmic intensity. If I was a UFC Fighter, this would be my walkout music.

The end of "Footprints" and the beginning of "Message Stick" include, what I assume to be, Australian Aboriginal singing/chanting/vocalization. In Rudd's the assumption is that these portions are included respectfully, and not just for the sake of adopting a cultural respectability.

The rest of "Message Stick" has a similar, although not as aggressive, primal rhythmic drive. I imagine that if I were to attend a rave in the Outback, I would want to hear "Message Stick."

Sometimes with music, you don't like the whole song, but just a portion or phrase. Such is the case with the end of the chorus of "Set It Up." When he sings "If you set it up be sure to set it down," it just sounds too slick not to mention.

So, as it turns out, White Moth is pretty awesome and lives up to the Xavier Rudd standard. Food In The Belly may still be my go-to album, but the second its last track runs out, you can bet I'll be reaching for White Moth

Rating: 3.7 stars