The academic and artistic collide in fascinating fashion on singer-songwriter Amanda Pascali’s latest album, Roses and Basil, out Sept. 12.
Pascali, born in New York City, raised in Texas and a Harrington Fellow currently working on her doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin, has made the translation and revitalization of Sicilian folk songs the centerpiece of her studies and her self-expression.
She was endorsed by the United States State Department and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a Fulbright Fellow, and in addition to work translating Sicilian folk songs, Pascali performed in an array of venues across the European continent.
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On Roses and Basil, the 26-year-old Pascali’s sweet soprano drifts between Italian and English — often in the space of a single verse — and sits comfortably within the ambitious goal of recontextualizing centuries-old Sicilian serenata as ‘60s-inspired pop ballads, as heard on the gorgeous, deeply infectious lead single “Wake Up, Baby!”
Roses and Basil, which Pascali dubs “Immigrant American folk,” was produced by Fort Worth-based Robert Ellis, who assisted Pascali in deftly bridging past and present. The nine-track record also features performances from Fort Worth music mainstays like drummer Jordan Richardson and bassist Aden Bubeck.
“Amanda brings a very well-informed and refined, yet also very easy and natural, energy to the table,” Ellis said in a statement. “While she clearly has a deep respect for tradition, I think what makes this record so special is Amanda’s particular willingness to put herself into the music here and now with all of her influences — trying to truly honor the past, rather than just re-enact it.”
Pascali, a first-generation American, grew up in New York City, the child of parents born in Egypt and Romania, before moving to Houston.
“In the words of poet Ijeoma Umebinyuo, I constantly felt ‘too foreign for here, too foreign for home, and never enough for both,’” Pascali said in a statement.
She views Roses and Basil, which follows her 2018 LP Still It Moves, a thrilling fusion of past and present, as well as a welcoming environment for listeners.
“I sing these songs for anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t fit in,” Pascali said in a statement. “To invite them to join me in the space that I’ve created where everyone can be proud of who they are where they come from.”
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky (@prestonjones.bsky.social).Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
