There are a few intriguing things about Julie Rhodes' video for her latest single, "I'd Rather Go Blind."

One is the fact that Rhodes, the Somerville, Mass., soul singer, undertakes a song so indelibly associated with the great Etta James in the first place. Granted, there are other really great renditions — Rod Stewart, Beyonce in "Cadillac Records," Koko Taylor, Marcia Ball — but doesn't that actually just up the ante?

The thing is, Rhodes' version is a starkly emotional and resonant powerhouse. Oh, and the video narrative — a slowly circulating camera tracking her Union Band playing live in various rooms of a moodily lit house, with Rhodes nailing it from the acoustically ideal bathroom — is inspired.

Rhodes is a remarkably forceful but tender vocalist, and you can see and hear her Saturday in Norwich at the Strange Brew Pub. It's an excellent tripartite bill with the CarLeans and Cowboy & Lady also performing.

Julie Rhodes, 8 p.m. Saturday, Strange Brew Pub, 86 Water St., Norwich; $10; (860) 222-8350.