Passing Strange is the enigmatic Connecticut-based duo of pianist-vocalist Kate Mirabella and drummer Anthony Paolucci. From their opening track to their concluding 11th song on their new The Water And The Woods album, this pair manage to create tones, atmospheres, and vibes that color each of their songs with its own personality.
Opening cut “Weather Cold” jumps in with assertive piano playing, a moody melody that perfectly matches a drum patter beneath. Mirabella taps out an eerie tone as Paolucci spanks his drum pieces, his strikes make for a perfect foil for his duo partners’ piano grit.
“Linger” finds Mirabella tapping out a dark, feisty line. Her vocal, even darker, jumps out like a cat moving out of shadow. She is suddenly present, plaintive but unafraid. Her combination of plaintive voice and peculiar piano line are upheld by Paolucci’s plentitude of fills, a drum pattern that is as busy and as rich in notes as the upper registers.
Moving into a jaunty pace, “Won’t” features a catchy vocal line, Mirabella skipping ahead of the music then taking a vocal step back to match an engaging, locked in groove she plays with Paolucci. One can feel this mid-tempo rocker taking us somewhere. With as much foreboding air as the previous two tracks, “Won’t manages to keep us tapping our toes to its infectious feeling. A piano break makes one feel the song taking us out into the abyss and leaving us to wonder if it will ever escort us back.
“They All Do” has a piano ballad vibe in the way Mirabella’s piano line keeps getting lift, a climbing sensation as it reaches higher in dynamics, an expression. Her voice, more pretty than dark here, has breathiness that makes her vocal sustains come wide and go far, a comforting presence among struggle.
The stretchy piano and vocal expressions fill “Following Me Home” a feeling of endless energy and endless anxiety. This is real athletic jump rope of a number, moving through its repetition with spring in its piano step, persistent in its drum work. Within its tight framework, though, it gives us plenty of worry, beautifully expressed, something everyone in our modern day society can relate to.
“Pacific Northwest” has beautiful motion in its piano line. It suggest departure, travel, someone who might be going away for the last time. Sudden bursts of piano chord energy combined with minor key notes bring out a battle between sorrow and courage, a letting go of something not meant to be kept. A girlish vulnerability in Mirabella’s vocal timbre here makes one feel what the song is all about, and, a persistent but understated drum pattern supports the upper registers well.
A quiet ballad, “Drifting” builds upon a light piano melody that doubles back on itself for more emotive grist. Mirabella’s vocal here glides, in brief measures, across the melody, creating a sympathetic response in the listener to her sensitive delivery and theme. It’s uncanny how well Paolucci keeps a muscular drum presence in this low key tune.
Getting back into a peppy delivery, Mirabella’s run of action notes on “June” feel like someone is on the go. Her voice above it is almost as soft as a whisper. Contrasting vocal hushes with a constant unfolding of piano melody creates a dramatic tension that keeps one listening. A chase is on and one wants to know how it will end. Paolucci’s constant injection of fills over his motivating beat keep things in a jittery emotion that makes this all thing even more impressive.
With sudden stop-start motions in a mid-tempo piano action, “Seven” leads its drama down a consistent path. Its hip swagger keeps one listening, especially as Mirabella pushes her whispery vocal over the peaks and valleys of an involving groove.
Light rain piano notes keep “Magic” airborne, its skipping notes pushing politely forward. Mirabella’s soft vocal appeal reaches an emotion level in the listener. Something in her voice needs to be heard, a cry, an appeal. She needs to exclaim her adoration for another’s special charms. Paolucci’s stick work keeps its groove in motion as much as the upper registers. Quiet admiration has never rocked out this persistently.
Closing track “We’re Here” has a melodic line that doubles back on itself, repeating its emotive line to dig up more feeling from the earthy ground of this seemingly simple piece. Mirabella’s vocal, soft timbre playing peekaboo with the pretty piano recycle, something that can fit perfectly to any musical environment. Paolucci’s simple drum patter supports the piano work with a note for note support while also keeping things hip.
Passing Strange is certainly an interesting duo, one to watched closely to see where they are a year from now. Their creativity, originality, and talent are evident throughout this disc. Marrying Maribella’s voice and piano to Paolucci’s drums work is a stroke of genius. Producerd by Richard Demko at Greenwood Studios in Seymour, Connecticut and mastered by Vic Steffens at Horizon in West Haven, Connecticut, The Water And The Woods showcases the nuanced possibilities of the two instruments and voice while also showing how epic those few instruments can sound.
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