MUSIC

Rhoda Weaver and the Soul Mates return to the White Horse

STAFF REPORTS

Vocalist Rhoda Weaver hadn’t planned to be a professional musician.

Rhoda Weaver and the Soul Mates shake up the dance floor Jan. 19 at White Horse Black Mountain.

Urged to sing in public by appreciative friends, she worked up her courage to perform on downtown Asheville streets and became a popular busker with her strong, heartfelt and emotionally true renditions of songs ranging from soul to pop, jazz to gospel.

Weaver unflappably navigates it all, earning admiring fans along the way, having since traded the streets for the clubs. Her band, the Soul Mates, keeps pace with her powerhouse singing, displaying tight, energetic playing that fills dance floors wherever the group appears. On Friday, Jan. 19 at 8 p.m., White Horse Black Mountain is the place to catch up with Rhoda Weaver and the Soul Mates.

Tickets are $12 advance, $15 door.

Weaver’s repertoire encompasses classic songs from the Motown archives, blues and jazz standards, plus R&B hits from the ‘60s through the ’90s. Her versatile voice has earned favorable comparisons to great female singers of the past.