Gig review: Rodriguez, Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Detroit singer-songwriter Rodriguez attracts international ardour. According to this vocal audience, Sweden, England, New Zealand, Cape Town and a fair few indistinguishable locations love him.

The 70-year-old troubadour has waited long enough for recognition on this scale, since originally releasing two albums 40 years ago, which enjoyed widespread obscurity at home but became bootleg sensations in South Africa.

The acclaimed documentary Searching For Sugar Man lays out the fascinating story responsible for rekindling interest in this cult Chicano musician, who cut a cool, if frail figure. His voice, though wavery in places, remains evocative of the counterculture era which spawned his songs, and on this tour he is backed by Bristol band Phantom Limb who struck up an easygoing acid folk groove with burnished guitar and organ licks.

His pleasant set, encompassed the breezy likeability of I Wonder, urban blues of Dead End Street, Hispanic flourishes of Sugar Man, romantic pastoral I Think Of You and Dylanesque Establishment Blues, demonstrating his natural inclination towards political as much as personal subject matter.

Still, one might wonder what all the fuss is about. The effusive reaction from the besotted crowd didn’t always correlate to the somewhat muted performance, but Rodriguez responded humbly and wittily to his high-spirited disciples with the suggestion to “drive safely”.

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