When talking about music, using the word pleasant as a descriptor sometimes feels like it's somehow a dig. Maybe the equivalent to using the word "interesting" in this state. Minnesotans all have that aunt who uses "interesting" to describe a hotdish outside the norm, with a little bit of spice or no cream of mushroom soup.
That's not what I mean by pleasant.
Pleasant
[plez-uhnt]
adjective
giving a sense of happy satisfaction or enjoyment
I'm here to reclaim the word in a positive light. Pleasant is a word that kept popping up as I listened to Jana Mila's debut album, Chameleon. The album is filled with lovely, enjoyable and beautiful songs — an album where you don't want to skip through any of it. Truly, a pleasant listen.
For her debut album, the Amsterdam-based songwriter recorded in Nashville with producer Todd Lombardo (Kacey Musgraves). Mila taps into harmonies and sounds of Laurel Canyon while mixing in '70s rock and folk storytelling. The title of the album, Chameleon touches on the overarching theme — changing so much to your surroundings that you lose yourself.
At odds with the theme, Mila manages to simultaneously transform throughout the album while sonically keeping it tied together.
The lead song "Like Only Lovers Could" channels serious CSNY harmonies. "Love Let Go" is a tender and intimate song with subdued vocals, feeling like she's in your ear only talking to you. "In Between" brings Brandi Carlile to mind with sweeping vocals and storyline. "Somebody New" is a straight ear worm — "if you've been longing for somebody new, oooh oooh" — has been in my head for the past week.
Writing simple songs that draw you in and make you want repeat listens is an extremely difficult task. To do it across an entire debut album? Nearly a miracle. Keep your eyes and ears on newcomer Jana Mila. At 26 years old, she's only just beginning her story.
Must listens
- "Like Only Lovers Could"
- "Somebody New"
- "Chameleon"
- "Love Let Go"
- "Let Me In"
