FRED SMITH was the first Australian diplomat to be posted to Afghanistans Uruzgan province in July 2009, tasked to build relationships with tribal leaders and bridge the cultural divide with Coalition Forces. Fred Smith is also a veteran singer-songwriter, beloved by Australias folk circuit and hailed by SMH as an exceptional songwriter and certainly the equal of Bogle, Walker and Schumann. DUST OF URUZGAN is a collection of 12 vignettes from the war. Some are written from Freds own point of view, some detail the personal realities of Australian soldiers, while others explore the perspectives of Afghan civilians. The albums title track was written after Private Ben Ranaudo was killed in an explosion in July last year. The song has subsequently become an anthem for [the] troops (ABC, PM) with the full-length being acknowledged as the first notable English language album about the current strife in Afghanistan (ABC Radio National).
