12 September 2026

Dubtember 12 - Rocksteady Girl (version)

 

Rhoda Dakar should be known by anyone delving into JA & JA adjacent music around here. She joined the 2-Tone era all-female band The Bodysnatchers & she's been making great reggae, ska, &  Rocksteady ever since.

This is Rhoda’s first album in five years. Here Rhoda delivers a 17-song collection (the original 12-track album with five additional bonus tracks) featuring a diverse range of covers chosen by Rhoda, celebrating her love of reggae, ska, & Rocksteady. Most of these songs in these incredibly versatile timeless Jamaican genres have never before been given proper treatments.

Version Girl's title is derived from Dandy Livingstone's "Version Girl", a song partly used as an intro track to the album. 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.

Rhoda sez:
       "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!" 

 

Rhoda Dakar - Version Girl, Sunday Best Recordings SBESTLP94, 2023.
decryption code in comments


Side A -
Version Girl (Version)
Stop Your Sobbing
Everyday is Like Sunday
What a Wonderful World
Hangin' Round
Song to the Siren

Side B -
Walking After Midnight
The Man Who Sold the World
Comme un Arbre
As Tears Go By
Love Hurts
Peace, Love, & Understanding

bonus Dub tracks -
Everday is like Sunday Dub
The Man Who Dubbed the World
Midnight Skank
As Dub Goes By
A Wonderful Version

 

 

Enjoy,

16 comments:

  1. Version Girl
    nqhUW3dbGgrDekidVbT4Z8XpqfdcYPlQBf-9bGHVr9I

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  2. I https://we.tl/t-di7j5bMoRuxoVJHWLike to give Something back for all the Good Music You gave us. https://we.tl/t-di7j5bMoRuxoVJHW
    Rhoda Dakar-Version Girl in Dub

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    1. Thanks carlo243. I couldn't really edit your comment so there is double linkage, bur all will figure it out, I hope. Have this one already but I'm sure lots of folk will love getting it.

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    2. Thank you very much! What a great addition.

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  3. Love this album so much. I can share the complete "Version Girl In Dub" (13 tracks) if you don't have it.

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    1. Thanks, jonder, for the kind offer. Carlo243 beat you to it (see above) but I still appreciate the wonderful gesture.

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  4. aboynamedstew9/12/26, 11:09 AM

    Hell yes! Mashing that DL button so fast and I can’t wait to cue these up in my stereo. I’m a little shocked that there isn’t a definitive ska/reggae/etc version of “What A Wonderful World” so I may have to do a little digging to confirm. Thanks!

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    1. Glad you're loving this one, abns. Check out the link for Version Girl in Dub in the comment from carlo243.if you don't have. Let me know how the version search for Wonderful World goes.

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  5. Thanks NØ! What a wonderful album!

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    1. Thanks, Charlie. Been getting a really positive response for this one. It sounded really swell when I rode in da car.

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  6. Thanks NØ, Rico Rodriguez had a crack at What a Wonderful World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OqkdnlZtLo


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    1. Thanks for the link AC. Hope aboynamedstew see the link. He was interested in other versions of these songs.

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    2. aboynamedstew9/13/26, 11:43 PM

      I found the Rico version of Wonderful World and wasn't real impressed. Also found a passable version by Ziggy Marley, but that was really all that I was able to find.

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    3. I guess Rhoda & crew thought the same. She sez: "no previous definitive Reggae, Ska, or Rocksteady versions" I think by definitive she meant "any good". Her versions are top-notch.

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  7. Very intrigued about this one, going for it.
    Thank you Man.
    Diego

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    Replies
    1. If you like it, there is a link above to the Version Girl in Dub that the bonus track were taken from.

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