“Dream with care,” instructs Xavier Rudd on 2012’s “Follow the Sun”. Such soothing guidance is a familiar feature of the Victorian songwriter, who layers rootsy instrumentation and often samples native animals. That track features dozens of different bird species in the backdrop, and its gently thumping pulse and poignant guitar picking made it a multi-platinum hit in Australia. Since breaking through with one-man-band ballads like 2003’s “Let Me Be”—whose breezy tone belies some grave lyrics about peace and bloodshed—Rudd has dabbled in reggae, blues and folk while always taking deep inspiration from nature. Inspired by the 1976 Australian film of the same name, his 2018 song “Storm Boy” details “this beautiful world” we share, whereas 2021’s “Stoney Creek” was penned under melaleuca trees during lockdown. It won Australia’s Environmental Music Prize, which is an honour that would befit most of Rudd’s songbook.