Review Summary: Xavier Rudd is a talented musician. Food In The Belly is his most complete album to date.
I’ve wanted to review a Xavier album for a while, but I haven’t been too confident about it. I mean, how do you explain this GURU to someone who’s never heard him? The one-man-band description is kind of off-putting for most, and the labels of ‘folk’ or ‘blues & roots’ don’t really do him justice. Forgetting the labels,
Food In The Belly is 47 minutes of the most creative, independent and soulful music you’re likely to hear, and is one of the best albums of 2005 without a shadow of a doubt.
Xavier Rudd is a blonde-haired blue-eyed surfer boy from a coastal town called Torquay, down from Melbourne (which is in Australia). A lot of you are probably already thinking “
Jack Johnson”. Don’t. Not that Jack is bad or anything, but Xavier’s music is
way more complex and, well, better, than Jack’s. Xavier plays all of his own instruments. Now most of you are probably thinking "ok, so he’s an acoustic guitar dude". Well this is where Xavier becomes the guru that he is. While playing one of a slide guitar, acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar or a banjo, he uses what’s called a ‘stomp box’ to provide the drum beat. It’s basically as if he were playing the bass drum but the stomp box sounds much more like an actual drum kit. Not bad eh? Remember that Xavier sings as well. And when he’s not singing, he is either playing a harmonica or a didgeridoo. So he is basically doing three things, all the time. Add to this he often has ankle bells and shakers attached to him to give off yet more sound, and he regularly uses other drums in tandem with the stomp box. Getting the picture? I just read that he evens plays piano on this record. This guy is phenomenal. He is sheer musical talent. I can stomp my foot in time with a beat, I can play guitar, and with a bit of time I could play the didgeridoo. Do all three at once and have it sound any good? Don’t reckon. Make unbelievably emotive and inventive music as well? Obviously not.
Food In The Belly is the third studio album from Xavier, released in late 2005 here in Oz. The lyrical content again tackles societal issues facing both Australia but more so the world, and love and personal relationships. There is the trademark Xavier focus on the environment and Mother Nature plays a pivotal role in the theme of the album. The title “
Food In The Belly” alludes to the themes of poverty and famine in the world, while Xavier’s passion for reconciliation and respect for Australia’s indigenous populations is manifest throughout the album (not least through his use of the didg). The ‘feel’ of the album is earthy, if that means anything. There is almost a tangible sense of the intrinsic link Xavier feels with the land, the water and the environment. This album reminds me of a road trip I went on a couple of months ago, through Xavier’s home town and along the coast where he has surfed for so many years.
The album begins with the dawdling
The Letter, with the line “
The ocean connects me to everything I know” summarising Xavier’s lifestyle. The muted guitar and percussion-like ‘dead’ notes give the album-opener an intense and involved feeling which belies its mellow façade. The slide guitar is effective and the thumping stomp box keeps the track moving during the solo. Xavier’s vocals are delicate and measured, setting the tone for the rest of the album. The sense that the album hasn’t really got going just yet persists though, and it takes the upbeat, fuller sound of
Messages to really get the blood flowing. The use of the female vocals on the later choruses in masterful - they complement Xavier’s dainty offerings marvellously. The lyrics are some of the best on the album, as Xavier talks about the land, the ocean, personal strength and the degradation of the environment. The final verse is probably the highlight, with the dreamy music complemented by the simple and unpretentious lyrics:
“
With each gift that you share,
You may heal and repair.
With each choice you make,
You may help someone's day.
Well I know you are strong,
May your journey be long,
And now I wish you the best of luck.”
The Indian music influence is obvious on
Pockets Of Peace, but the track never gets going and is too placid to have any real impact, particularly following on from
Messages. The lack of impact it makes, however, only helps to emphasise the brilliance of the album’s zenith, the stunning
Fortune Teller. This is easily my favourite Xavier song, and with a genuine Rock feel and a much faster pace than most of the album it is certainly the highlight. The catchy main guitar riff (do not learn it unless you want to play it every time you pick up a guitar for the next three months… trust me) coalesces attractively with the thud of the stomp box during the verses and Xavier’s vocals are at their most elusive. The resonant didgeridoo starts the track as the acoustic main riff comes in together with the unrelenting stomp box. Using the same riff - only distorted - during the pre-verses works very well, and adds to the simplicity of the song - there are only two guitar riffs: verse and chorus. It is undeniably a great song.
The sublimely strong middle-section of the album is kicked-off by the rolling, “ocean” track
Energy Song. The song is about the ‘oneness’ Xavier is feeling, in the form of the connection with the earth and regeneration and birth. The undulating beat gives the track a truly uplifting feel while Xavier’s vocals are again at their positive best, with the lines “
I feel so connected, I feel so alive” one of the highlights. The title-track,
Food In The Belly, rehashes the
Fortune Teller feel in one of the more Blues & Roots-influenced tracks on the album, with Xavier distorting his (slide) guitar for a moment or two. While the album is flowing with energy and drive, Rudd slows it all down and offers up a beautiful love song in
My Missing. As the title suggests, the song is about Xavier missing his lady. It’s about Xavier being on tour and not being able to be home with his family and lady, and some of the lines are oh so effective: “
I miss you in my life” is the lead vocal-line and it is undeniably poignant.
My Missing is three minutes of love-inspired acoustic brilliance - it’s a delightful love song.
Never one to get stuck in a rut of similarity, Xavier again changes the tempo with the didgeridoo-inspired instrumental
Mana. The light percussion work supports the brazen didg work effortlessly in a track reminiscent of early John Butler.
Famine has remarkable similarities with
Bob Marley with its reggae-influenced guitar and the upbeat and slow groove driving the song. Xavier’s vocals are at times joyous, with the feeling that he was genuinely happy when he recorded this one. Given his attitude towards his music though it comes as no surprise. The slow, relaxed horns in
Connie’s Song sound like they are taken from
The Cat Empire, as this pseudo-Jazz, pseudo-Folk piece further showcases Xavier’s diversity. The haunting sounds of children chanting the chorus forms the basis of
Generation Fade, an intense four minutes about what the future holds.
There’s no better way to describe Xavier Rudd than as a guru. His talent is phenomenal and his unique musical style and song writing ability set him apart from just about all others in the business. This is his most complete album to date, with some absolutely cracking songs on it. Seeing the lad live is truly something, but
Food In The Belly can stand alone as a brilliant album, separate from the guy’s individual talent. If a band had recorded this it would still be brilliant. The fact that it is written and essentially recorded by the one dude is truly extraordinary. The guy is a guru.
