Highlights included a cover of Freddie Kings “I Love The Woman”, “Pain and Misery” and “I Get Up”.īefore Friday night, it’d been a number of years since I last saw Xavier Rudd play live. And, in my opinion you can never go wrong with a horn section! It also became clear as the set went on that there’s plenty of songwriting talent amongst the group, with frontman Josh Teskey keen to drawn attention to the song’s requisite writer. The band was tight, with solid performances from each of the members, though Sam Teskey’s guitar playing particularly shone through. Instead, The Teskey Brothers are well versed in soul and blues, with a number of their songs bringing to mind some of those old greats from both genres. Given the headliner I was probably expecting something rooted in the folk or roots genres. Even then, what I got proved to be a surprise, albeit a welcome one.
Having never seen The Teskey Brothers before, nor heard any of their output, I wasn’t too sure what to expect. Spirit Bird is filled with openly vulnerable lyrics and cannot be compared to much contemporary music sonically.Friday night saw the South Lawn of the Fremantle Arts Centre play host to the penultimate night of Xavier Rudd’s Storm Boy Australian tour, joining Rudd for the evening were Victoria’s The Teskey Brothers. Either way, this record is easy, feel-good listening that musically keeps you interested for its entirety. Melancholy vocals surround the calls for brotherhood on tracks like “Bow Down.” Handy acoustic guitar work is the perfect accent to the more easy-going songs, such as “Full Circle.” The lines that designate a love song from a religious song are blurred on “Mystery Angel,” where you are not sure if the subject in question is Rudd’s mother, god, or lover. The lyricist prays for days in the future where war does not reign supreme over humanity. Many songs on Spirit Bird describe the loss of sacred lands-mourning for the wilderness that we so easily consume. Pop-like beats keep the album relevant and interesting. Abrupt and organic vocals give this already whimsical piece an ethereal element. Toward the end of the emotional title track, “Spirit Bird,” a chorus of children accompanies Rudd, allowing for an epic vocal crescendo. “3 Roads” sounds more like a soundscape recorded in a jungle or perhaps the Australian Outback rather than a song created in a recording studio.
Quirky as the instrument may be, Xavier Rudd has clearly mastered it and puts it to good use for all to enjoy. On the first track, “Lioness Eye,” the album unfolds before you with an extended didgeridoo solo that captures your attention entirely. His lyrics paint sprawling mental images that bring the stories he tells in song to life.
Rudd revives the traditional aspects of Australian music by the using the didgeridoo consistently throughout the record, adding a defining characteristic. This will be the artist’s seventh album where he continues to incorporate his signature naturalistic themes. Spirit Bird is the soon-to-be released record from esteemed Australian singer-songwriter, Xavier Rudd.
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