By Andrew Poretz . . .

Singer-songwriter Monica Passin has been around the New York music scene for decades.  The petite Monica is best known as a rockabilly and country music performer, in sharp contrast to her upbringing as a “nice Jewish girl” who spent her formative years in the Bronx.  As a singer and guitarist, she’s played and recorded with several bands, including The Twanglers and, most famously, Lil’ Mo & the Monicats, as well as solo.  For her first in-person appearance on December 3 since the pandemic, she is back with her new trio, Monette, consisting of Monica Passin with backup singers Sherryl Marshall and Deborah Berg.  Monette performed songs primarily from their 2017 eponymous album, arranged in the vocal style of 1960s girl groups.  Backed only by Monica’s six-string guitar, the show differed from the structured, scripted cabaret shows typically seen at Pangea.  Her 15-song set of harmony-based rock and blues was closer to the type of loose, ad hoc set you might hear at a pop venue like The Bitter End.  All but one song performed was written by Monica Passin.

A love song to her guitar, “Pretty Sound,” opened the show.  At first it was just Monica and her guitar, before Sherryl and Deborah joined in for the harmonies.  “Lovely Miranda,” a deceptively simple four-chord song, evoked a sea breeze at Coney Island.  The song happened to mention Second Avenue, where Pangea is located.

“Back in Time,” a slow ballad with spare strumming, conjured an all-girl Ink Spots record, down to the spoken bridge and augmented chords.  Monica wrote it, however, as an homage to her father’s Billy Eckstine impression.

“The Jackpot is Now” is a fun, faux-philosophical song inspired by a lottery sign that was missing the dollar amount.  Monica imagined that to have some deeper meaning.  “That Eastern philosophy stuff gets me right here.” She crooned, “Don’t waste a sunrise waiting for the moon.” Switching gears, “Too Much Time with Your Tears” was a terrific throwback to the kinds of songs written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin in the days of the Brill Building hit factory of the early 1960s.

Monica informed the audience that album’s title song “Monette” has many French words, some of which would be familiar, some not.  A funny gal, when someone called out “Oui, oui!,” she quickly quipped, “No, I went before the show!”  The song is filled with humorous bits and French non-sequiturs.  Monica’s strong, clean guitar playing supported the trio perfectly, making judicious use of bass lines to augment her solo comping.  When called for, she took her playing up a couple of notches.  In “Deep Kisses,” a song about sex, she played only bass lines while singing, with some snippets of harmony from Sheryl and Deborah.  This was a hot, unusual song, and Monica’s playing was especially impressive.

It’s clear that Monica’s father has been a big influence on her music.  She created her original holiday song, “Christmas This Year,” by surrounding herself with a pile of her father’s old Sinatra vinyl records.  She pulled pieces of album and song titles “Ring-a-Ding Ding,” “In the Wee Small Hours,” “I’ve Got the World on a String” and “That’s Life,” with snippets and allusions to their lyrics, to create a cogent story. 

Monica Passin is a talented gal with great material and chops.  Her two backup singers provided beautiful, tight harmonies.  Monica is also quite funny and engaging, and her outstanding guitar work, along with Pangea’s intimate space, made this “unplugged” version of her album come together.  The “Monette” album was recorded with full instrumentation and arrangements, and is available for download on all streaming services, and as a physical CD from Amazon. 

Monica Passin – Monette

Guitar and lead vocals:  Monica Passin

Backup vocalists:  Sherryl Marshall and Deborah Berg

Pangea

178 Second Avenue

New York, NY