– Rhoda to play a series of in-stores to celebrate the album’s release –
Following a run of outstanding and acclaimed singles, on 26th May Sunday Best recordings will release Version Girl, Rhoda Dakar’s first album in five years.
Version Girl’s title is derived from Dandy Livingstone’s ‘Version Girl’, some of which is woven into the Amapiano intro to the album by Rhoda’s producer son, Parizien. He last appeared on the Lotek Four, Vol I, playing drums on ‘Dolphins’. Rhoda’s connection to Livingstone dates to her first-ever release, a cover of his ‘Let’s Do Rocksteady’, which she recorded with The Bodysnatchers for the iconic 2-Tone label.
A 12-song collection, the album features a diverse range of covers chosen by Rhoda, celebrating her love of Reggae, Ska and Rocksteady. Most of these songs have never before been given proper treatments in these incredibly versatile and timeless Jamaican genres.
Not only does Version Girl celebrate Rhoda’s love of all things Reggae, it also passionately celebrates musicians who inspired her from her adolescence through to adulthood. These include one of her musical heroes, David Bowie, in the form of a first-ever committed reggae treatment of ‘The Man Who Sold The World’, and a cover of ‘Hangin’ Round’ from the Lou Reed’s Bowie-produced Transformer album.
Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, one of Rhoda’s favourite ever singers, is the inspiration for an organ-driven, Skinhead Reggae version of ‘Stop Your Sobbing’, and the track which kick-started the Version Girl project, a plaintive take on ‘Everyday Is Like Sunday’. These two songs The Pretenders made their own and Rhoda listened to their version of the latter obsessively during the first lockdown and, once she and her band could re-enter the studio, it was the first song they recorded.
Revered singer-songwriter Elvis Costello is connected to Rhoda via his production of ‘Nelson Mandela’ on her band The Special AKA’s In The Studio, an album released on the 2-Tone label. Rhoda acknowledges Costello as the person who introduced her to country music via his 1981 album Almost Blue. The two country songs she has recorded for Version Girl are ‘Walking After Midnight’ and ‘Love Hurts’. On the former, she and her outstanding band recreate the classic sound of Ska – pioneered by her drummer Marley’s great-grandfather, trombonist Don Drummond. The latter selection was inspired by Rhoda’s love of the Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris version.
Rhoda and album producer Lenny Bignell celebrate their shared love of The Rolling Stones on the Jagger-Richards’ composition ‘As Tears Go By’. Originally written for and recorded by Marianne Faithfull and widely covered, surprisingly in almost 60 years, it has never received the reggae treatment.
Perhaps the most personal song on the album is a cover of ‘What A Wonderful World’, originally recorded by Louis Armstrong, a friend of Rhoda’s father from his time spent working as a jazz musician in Paris during the 1920s and ‘30s. The result is three-and-a-half minutes of outstanding reggae, with one of Rhoda’s best-ever vocal performances – a moving tribute to the original version and her family connection to Louis Armstrong.
From his time spent in Paris, Rhoda’s father was a fluent French speaker, and due to this, she grew up hearing him speak French to her auntie in particular. She showcases her French for the first time on record on a cover of Maxime Le Forestier’s ‘Comme Un Arbre’.
Elvis Costello’s influence is also present on album closer ‘What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding’. Originally written and recorded by Nick Lowe, like most people, Rhoda was introduced to the song by Costello’s version. Her chilled-out version is the perfect closer to an outstanding album, one which aims to leave people with a smile and glimmer of hope.
Rhoda on the album:
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 cover albums. So, rather than hanging on their coattails, 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!
Version Girl was largely recorded at Perry Vale Studios, London and produced by Lenny Bignell, who has worked with almost every legacy Reggae artist and plays guitar and keyboards on the album. He and Rhoda were joined throughout by bassist Andi McLean and drummer Marley Drummond. The album also features guest appearances from emcee Natty Campbell, backing vocalist Nathan Austin Thomas, keyboardist Roger Rivas (whom The Specials’ Lynval Golding described as ‘the best bubbler in the business!’), harmonica player Joff Watkins, multi-instrumentalist Terry Edwards, trumpeter Evan Clegg, and pianist and string arranger Louis Vause.
Tracklist:
1. Version Girl
2. Stop Your Sobbing
3. Everyday Is Like Sunday
4. What A Wonderful World
5. Hangin’ ‘Round
6. Song To The Siren
7. Walking After Midnight
8. The Man Who Sold The World
9. Comme Un Arbre
10. As Tears Go By
11. Love Hurts
12. What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding
Version Girl will be available on CD, Neon Purple Translucent vinyl and Galaxy Purple vinyl, both with printed inner sleeves and digital platforms and streaming.
Buy link: https://orcd.co/versiongirl
To celebrate the album’s release, on 26th May, Rhoda will play a series of in-stores, beginning with a performance in Sheffield supported by Pete McKee’s band, Everly Pregnant Brothers:
Fri. 26th May Sheffield with Bear Tree Records (venue TBC)
Mon. 29th May Bristol Rough Trade FULL BAND
Tues. 30th May Banquet Records, Kingston
Wed. 31st May Rough Trade East, London FULL BAND
Thu. 1st June Pie and Vinyl, Portsmouth
Fri. 2nd June Black Circle Records, Leighton Buzzard
Sat. 3rd June Reflex Records, Newcastle
Buy the album here, https://orcd.co/versiongirl
Rhoda will also be playing at The London International Ska Fest on April 7th at the 229 Club.
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