If the only Italian vocalists you know are Pavarotti and Bocelli, meet Amanda Pascali, a Texas singer-songwriter who takes an intriguing new approach to Italian music.
Working with Fort Worth producer Robert Ellis, Pascali puts a new spin on old Sicilian folk songs on her latest album, Roses and Basil, out Sept. 12.
After writing new English lyrics for the tunes, she reinvented the music with help from Ellis. “Wake Up, Baby! (E Vui Durmiti Ancora)” sounds like a long-lost Phil Spector track, while “Amuri” would blend in easily with Shakira on a playlist.
For “Amuri,” Pascali dug up a Sicilian love poem and “set those ancient verses to a groovy cumbia/Latin rhythm … giving new life to an ancient work that still feels relatable today,” she explained on Instagram.
Her silky voice and globe-trotting sound might strike a chord with fans of Laufey, but Pascali rarely performs onstage due to a busy academic career. A past Fulbright Scholar, she’s now a fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, researching ethnomusicology and Italian Studies.
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