Reviewed by James Howard-Smith

The phrase 'Dare To Differ', recalling the title of Tony Benn's memoirs Dare To Be A Daniel, most obviously refers to the unpopular and sometimes dangerous decision to follow the example of Jesus, but Rodo seems to also be letting us in on a challenge she gave herself with this debutant effort. While nominally R&B, I suspect this is a singer/songwriter who would feel quite marooned if forced to record entirely within those two letters. This is an album planted in sandy soil that improbably flowers thanks to Rodo's tireless tending of the crop. Zimbabwean producer Calvin Gudu (who may well be manning the dials for the first time) often traps his charge with empty electro beats that, at worst, make these sound like songs from Barney & Friends. After a mediocre beginning comes the somewhat epic third track, "Biggest Fan" (a video assisted third single), our initial sighting of the artist's push for real creativity, which is disappointingly followed by the album's worst low, "Mummy And I" - not at all John Lennon's "Julia". Tired sounds continue to dog Rodo's compositions, and by the quality of her songwriting she quite heroically resists. Except on "Not About Me", which marries Rodo's rapped verses to a chirpy pop chorus (incidentally, the producer sews these together quite well), the songs aren't chopped into chalk and cheese sections of wordy verses and pithy singalong choruses; instead, chorus is as thoughtful and un-repetitive as verse, while most tracks employ a bridge to keep things moving. It isn't always interesting, but when 'Dare To Differ' comes alive it happens because Rodo won't allow her mind to sit still; her zeal to make good music is exciting, and along with the truth of her talent, this should mean excellent work is ahead of her.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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