POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Jeffrey Gaines, Paula Cole: Heartfelt Presence

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Passion is no ordinary word, to quote Graham Parker. In the Jeffrey Gaines/Paula Cole show Friday night at the Coach House, passion was enough to raise the level of the young East Coast singer-songwriters’ performances far above the level of their songwriting.

Headliner Gaines is a 28-year-old Pennsylvanian with two albums to his credit, and Cole, 26, is a Massachusetts-based newcomer with one release. Both offer material that is intelligent, deeply felt and melodically attractive.

Cole, supported by a backing guitarist and percussionist, was a commanding presence who aimed for the grand gesture and pulled it off. Her dark, plaintive songs about stunted lives became short dramas that swept the audience away.

Gaines’ firm, richly grained, soulful voice was well-suited to songs that often addressed the insecurities and fears that can disrupt relationships or stop people from pursuing their own free path in life.

His unflagging commitment and uncommonly personable stage manner through a long solo-acoustic set enabled him to put on a more involving show than some superior but less impassioned singer-songwriters could have delivered.