A few weeks ago, I have the privilege of seeing Rhoda Dakar play a live set in a medium-sized venue in Paisley (300 capacity), a town immediately adjacent to the south-west of Glasgow. I had taken up an invitation from Jan Burnett of Spare Snare to be his +1 as he was on the guest list courtesy of the legendary trumpeter/saxophonist Terry Edwards, who plays in Rhoda’s band. Terry’s connection with Jan is that he also played on the Spare Snare album, The Brutal, recorded in Edinburgh in late 2022 by the late Steve Albini.
I wasn’t sure what to expect other than probably a good time, not being all that familiar with Rhoda’s work beyond a few songs with The Bodysnatchers and her involvement with The Special AKA. I was pleasantly surprised to find the venue was packed, the audience largely made up of people of a certain vintage, almost to a man and woman dressed in Fred Perry t-shirts or other clothing associated with the ska movement. The atmosphere was brilliant, and the energy on show was a sight to behold.
It was more than matched by Rhoda and her band on stage. A 90-minute set, of which I probably recognised more than half the tunes, but this in part was down to the fact Rhoda played a number of unexpected (to me) cover versions. I hadn’t been aware that last year, Rhoda had released Version Girl, a 12-song LP of covers. In her own words:-
“I wanted to go a little left field for this. There seemed no point in covering songs which already had perfectly good Reggae versions. Both UB40 and Madness have already done a series of definitive covers albums. So, rather than hanging on their coat tails, I went for songs that had no previous definitive Reggae, Ska or Rocksteady versions, that we could find anyway. I think it also continues to demonstrate the amazing adaptability of these Jamaican genres!”
Having enjoyed the gig so much, I ordered a copy of the album a few days later, and it has proven to be one of the most surprisingly enjoyable purchases across the entire year. Here’s three of the tunes that were played in Paisley:-
mp3: Rhoda Dakar – Everyday Is Like Sunday
mp3: Rhoda Dakar – The Man Who Sold The World
mp3: Rhoda Dakar – (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding
The album is available in digital form, as well as on CD or vinyl from this bandcamp page. It really is very highly recommended.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Wow! So much to unpack from this post, JC! I’m very glad that you had a great night, even more so given that you didn’t know what to expect.I think Rhoda is fantastic and raved about the Version Girl album as a PS to a post on The Special AKA’s The Boiler last year.
https://dubhed.blogspot.com/2023/10/once-heard-never-forgotten.html
As per your recommendation, I’d also give a shout to Rhoda Dakar Sings The Bodysnatchers which came out in September, and the Version Girl singles, all backed with dub versions of the A side.
Sadly, the night Rhoda played a gig in Bristol, I was in London seeing Misty In Roots & The Ruts DC, otherwise I’d have been there like a shot.
Khayem
love her cover of Man Who Sold The World.
WinterInMaypark
Glad to hear that you was a part of a fantastic concert. To my shame I have to admit that I read Khayem’s post last year but forgot to dive deeper into her music. Love the songs and try to get a copy of her album.
There is something glorious about doing a reggae version of a Morrissey song. All power to her, even if the lyric is as far as you can get from a Caribbean vibe you can imagine.
Really enjoying the Bowie cover, although I can’t get the Lulu version out of my head, cover of a cover?
Middle Aged Man
‘Sunday’ for the win. I don’t remember sounding so…operatic? Bet it was a great show!