Xavier Rudd - Live in Brussels

Xavier Rudd's first live release since 2005's Good Spirit has a lot of ground to cover. Since then he's released three studio albums and 'Live in Brussels' is a 60 minute album that focuses on material from this period and reflects the growing sound of the one-man-band, joined here by Dave Tolley on drums for the sold-out show recorded in December 2008 at the legendary Ancienne Belgique.

Three of the album's tracks come from 2008's 'Dark Shades of Blue' but also features renditions from 'White Moth', the title track from 'Food in the Belly' and the standout track Let Me Be from 'Solace'.

Opening with an eight minute version of Stargaze from 'White Moth', Rudd's penchant for extending songs out into extended psychedelic adventures is captured from the start. The trance is unwavering as he moves into the didge-heavy instrumental Message Stick.

Rudd’s unique moody acoustic reggae makes its first appearance with Edge of the Moon. A Michael Franti-esque "How you feelin'??" chant in the middle felt a bit out of place as it segued into his first audience addressing, but I guess enough festival and show appearances alongside his fellow barefoot compadre will bring that out.

The anthemic Messages from 'Food in the Belly' is brought alive, capturing a vibe that was missing on the studio version (but present on its debut on the 2005 Australian live album 'Good Spirits'). Here the song blends seamlessly into the dark Guku before returning once again to close with the final verse of Messages.

Come Let Go has always been a standout track from Rudd's 'White Moth', and here it's captured brilliantly, even including a recording of the archetypal kookaburra cries heard on the album (that is, assuming Rudd doesn't have a live kookaburra tucked away somewhere in his expansive array of instruments on stage). Here the steady reggae beat is stretched out with some great call-and-response with the audience.

A decidedly funky version of Food in the Belly makes up for the decidedly flat version included on the album of the same name, with Tolley taking the spotlight with a bizarre extended drum solo towards the end. A haunting rendition of Shiver then takes the live recording in a polar direction, a testament to Rudd's ability to connect with his audiences through many different styles, each feeling as raw and heartfelt as each other. The album closes with crowd-pleaser Let Me Be, the infectious simple reggae song has been instrumental in setting him down the path he's been on as an artist these past few years, and accompanied by Tolley's bongos, the extended closer to the album really does capture that special indescribable something that Xavier Rudd has always had on stage.

'Live in Brussels', as a digital-only release due out August 28 serves as a nice yet relatively inconsequential cap on Rudd's past four albums that have been predominantly solo affairs both in the studio and on stage. With Xavier heading into a Byron Bay studio in October to record his next album with a trio of musicians, 'Live in Brussels' may be the last we hear of his more solo sound for a while.

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