Xavier Rudd is an Australian roots musician, a political activist, a reggae lover and a singer-songwriter. All noble pursuits, but ones that pull him in far too many directions.
The opening three tracks highlight this dilemma. ‘Better People’, regardless of its creator’s good intentions, contains a political message so vague that it's very easy to dismiss the writer as a self-righteous do-gooder.
‘Twist’ is naff cod-reggae, a wholly unpalatable imitation of the real thing. Rudd rocks out on ‘Stargaze’, but this pose doesn’t suit him either – he requires a more tranquil frame of mind to reach his creative peak.
Things take a turn for the better on the record’s fourth track. ‘Choices’ is a likeably gentle ballad, with some peaceful late-night harmonica. Rudd resists the temptation to pontificate or over-spice his sonic stew, and sounds all the better for it.
There are a number of other twinkling, low-key ballads, which help to save the record from being completely atrocious. ‘Set It Up’ is sombre, restrained and graceful – words you would never have associated with Rudd on previous releases. The title-cut, and the two closing tracks (‘Whirlpool’ and ‘Come Back’), also exude a pleasing sense of nocturnal calm.
For Rudd to reach his full potential, he must lose his tendency towards eclecticism and his cumbersome political agenda; an unfortunate state of affairs, as one suspects that these are the things that he – along with his devoted fans – cherishes the most about himself.