Kate Vargas’ distinctive voice has already been featured here several times. Her singles have been fun, glossy interpretations of Americana music. I was very excited to listen to her newest album, Strangeclaw, so I could hear her stretch out to her fullest extent. Strangeclaw does not disappoint.
While Vargas uses her gravelly voice to full advantage in Halloween-appropriate songs like “Second Skin” and to throw down in rockers like “Who Knew What,” or slinky numbers like “Good Stuff.” And these all make sense — what makes Vargas alluring is that her voice feels suited to a jazz lounge, but instead she’s struck off for the rough and tumble of dirt country roads. However, she shows her true colors in the ballad “Rise the Moon,” a contemplative song to which she brings an extra dose of world weariness. Strangeclaw is as fun as it is expansive, a tour through a truly gifted singer’s interests and range.