Xavier Rudd – Dark Shades of Blue – Salt X

The world’s sexiest barefoot vegetarian (as declared by PETA in 2007) is back with his fifth studio album, Dark Shades of Blue. Whereas the last album, White Moth, was a mostly lighthearted album, Dark Shades of Blue is, well, darker. The album’s title track explodes into life after the instrumental opener ‘Blackwater’, while the backing vocals on later tracks ‘Guku’ and ‘Shiver’ (‘Shiver’ backup done by Xavier’s wife and the album cover artist Marci Lutken-Rudd) are a haunting highlight of the album’s political themes. ‘Up in Flames’ and “This World as We Know It’ are trademark Xavier jam tracks that will have fans anxiously awaiting tour dates, while ‘Edge of the Moon’ is a feel-gooder that would easily have fit in amongst the offerings on White Moth. Taken together the songs on Dark Shades of Blue showcases Xavier’s tremendous talents on the yirdaki (more commonly called a didgeridoo) and slide guitar on a diverse collection of songs. This album is a real teaser for the stellar live performances that are sure to follow. –MS

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Parklife – Various – Ministry of Sound

The summer festival season starts with Parklife, an audacious all day affair which brings together some of the hottest live acts around. This CD is the perfect introduction to a day that will be crammed full of 28 plus bands, DJs and the like. Goldfrapp serve up an esoteric song, a taste of how laid back, magnificent and sensually soaring they will be this September. Neon Neon deliver with the incredibly punchy Dream Cars, while Familjen’s electro funk is just sublime. Elsewhere and the likes of Van She, Dragonette, Peaches, Yuksek, Bag Raiders plus many others supply party tunes which assure Parklife is a festival not to be missed. –SPM

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Sarah McLachlan – Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff 2 – Arista

Sarah McLachlan fans – put this on your shopping list. Unlike her studio albums, which are without exception put together as an album – each song leading to the next as a part of a complete whole, this is exactly what the title says; ‘Other Stuff’. A thrown together mix of McLachlan’s diverse collaborations and covers, the only link from one song to the next is that voice, overwhelmingly melodic and often melancholy. Not surprisingly, this album showcases the versatility of the voice, including its really bizarre but utterly enjoyable forays into the likes of hip-hop (with DMC) and techno (with Tiesto’s remix of ‘Silence’). However, while the album proves the range of her artistry, McLachlan brings it home on her duets with like-minded (or voiced) singers, Emmylou Harris on ‘Angel’ and fellow Canadian crooner Bryan Adams on ‘Don’t Let Go’. As a final note for the lady-lovin’ ladies, Sarah McLachlan may have dispelled the gay rumours with her declaration that she is tragically, tragically hetero, but on ‘Time After Time’ with Cyndi Lauper and ‘The Rainbow Connection’ her music still swings our way. –MS

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Katy Perry – One of The Boys – Capitol

It’s no secret that pop stardom is about more than catchy tunes. Pop stars these days need style, image, and attitude. Lucky for Katy Perry she has all three. She’s a burlesque girl with a hedonistic, don’t f*ck with me edge. She’s the next wave of Avril Lavigne… but what about the music? Her first single ‘I Kissed A Girl’ is an ode to lipstick bisexuality that is turning dance floors into a best of Girls Gone Wild. ‘I Kissed A Girl’ deserves its place on the pop charts, but sadly, the rest of the album will not likely be climbing quite so high. There are plenty of catchy chorus hooks, but Katy does not hit the mark as she did when she was pashing cherry chapsticked chicks. Perhaps, if instead of singing ‘ur so gay’ about a hated ex in track 6, she sang more about her own experiments on this side of the playing field… All in all, Perry is a pop star on the brink with the potential to be the next big thing, if she remembers to add a bit more music to the mix. –MS

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