CD REVIEW: Xavier Rudd "Koonyum Sun"

For quite a while, Xavier Rudd has been amazing crowds and music fans throughout the world with his unique blend of world, aboriginal, and folk styles of music. His music is always filled with interesting instrumentation and poignant lyrics and his latest does not stray from a formula that has worked for six studio albums. The first single from the album is an incredibly positive song called "Time To Smile" and it is already getting fans into his new album all over the world. This album features a new collaborative effort with his African-influenced backing band Izintaba, adding a whole new layer to Rudd's already complex sound. This element further elaborates on Xavier's internationally flavored brand of folk, making each song on this album intriguing from start to finish. Familiarity is not gone, however, as fans of Rudd's music will surely love the songs "Love Comes And Goes" and "Set Me Free" which sound like they could have come from any of the albums in his catalogue. Xavier Rudd is always trying to reinvent his music, and on his latest album he manages to surprise and amaze while still sticking to his roots with clever songs and inventive music.