Nicola Milan

What a delight it was to listen to Nicola’s interpretation of her own unique songs. Her backing group has every nuance down pat and the notes wafted like clouds over a blue sky as Nicola performed her magic. This young lady is going places and I wish her every success in her endeavors. - Jazz Fremantle 107.5FM

Listening to this captivating and almost flawless album from Perth singer Nicola Milan is a wonderful pick-me-up after a tiring day. Milan has that special something which is so often missing from the musical offerings of others ….. uniqueness ! The production of an album can be a fraught process. By definition the best albums are a collaborative effort. Everything about this album exudes quality. The writing, the musicians, and the recording are top notch. Highly recommended! - 89.1 Radio Blue Mountains

Even after the first song of the album, ‘No Room for Promises’ immediately showcases the quality of this release as it sets you up for forty minutes of blissfully introverted relaxation. There are no filler tracks throughout the whole album; you can tell that Nicola Milan has been working hard and has chosen only her best compositions to feature. One of the biggest stand-out tracks is named ‘Love Me More’; in today’s world of music it is hard to find such an enthralling bossa-nova track but she really does the genre justice and continues to impress with her eclectic compositions, providing us with the perfect star-gazer’s soundtrack. - Teto Music

It seems apt to be listening to jazz singer-songwriter Nicola Milan at this time of year. As the mercury drops, her second studio album Forbidden Moments begs to be enjoyed on a lazy Sunday afternoon, glass of red in hand. Produced with a $9,765 grant awarded by the Department of Culture and the Arts WA, these ten original pieces move between bluesy swing, Latin, and folk to convey the emotional versatility and complexities of a talented and promising songstress. A WAAPA graduate and award winning songwriter, Milan’s vocals are warm, effortless and chocolaty, and occasionally spiked with a hint of something stronger.

The Scent of Her Perfume is pure drama. Sensual and passionate, Milan’s voice flirts with violinist Ashley Arbuckle’s sexy melodic passages in this bold tango. Arbuckle, former co-leader of the London Symphony Orchestra is joined by a series of distinguished jazz musicians including double bassist Pete Jeavons, guitarist Rick Webster and drummer Michael Perkins. Together they form a tight ensemble and Milan provides ample opportunities for each performer to shine. Their experience shows. The final track on the album, Latin inspired The Lonely Flute,brilliantly showcases flautist and saxophonist Michael Collinson, and pianist and accordionist Ben Clarke – a spicy combination.

The Waiting Game is a particular highlight. Departing slightly from the rest of the album, it is gentle and folkie. Milan’s lyrics are genuine, her voice delicate and fragile. My only qualm – Milan’s gorgeous husky tone occasionally descends into breathiness in the higher register. As a result, the voice sometimes lacks the emotional depth of the lyrics.
Witty, sophisticated and original, it is exciting to see such an intelligent and honest artist and songwriter surface in Australia. Milan’s album marks the beginning of a promising career.
- Limelight Magazine (Aus)

Nicola Milan is a talented performer who strives to deliver a sophisticated, smooth and classy take on Jazz music. The Perth artist set out to build a personal and tantalizing sound centered around smooth and emotional vocal performances, perfectly interconnected with edgy and unpredictable compositions, which still manage to retain the timeless, familiar feel shared by the best jazz to date.

This record features 10 tracks that feels like a musical journey, where Nicola invites the listener to follow her, hand in hand, through her passions, feelings and stories. It is really refreshing to get to listen to a jazz artist who really values the importance of good and personal song-writng: The worldwide jazz scene is notoriously crowded with excellent musicians, but the sad thing is that the great majority of these performers tend to simply be…executors. It is true that the best musicians always manage to re-interpret a piece according to their insight, but somehow, a singer songwriter contributing to the genre with her own tunes, her own emotional and artistic insights, truly feels like another small page of the history of this genre is being written.
- The Bandcamp Diaries

Milan sings through the rest of the world with her confident alto voice, well-balanced, inside and out. She shows that she can readily compose and sing in any genre or subgenre she chooses whether the gypsy-tinged tango of “The Scent of Her Perfume” or the American stage ballad “I Begin To Understand.” Milan’s is a voice that will be unknown no longer. - www.allaboutjazz.com

From the very first song on “Forbidden Moments,” “No Room For Promises” with its slip sliding rhythm, smoky delivery from Nicola and smooth clarinet accompaniment, it’s really hard to put this album down. All of the arrangements are extremely well done and Nicola brings out all of the emotions of each song like she’s really lived through them all. Especially “Love Me More”, I couldn’t stop listening to it. I just hit the loop button, and sunk into the lush sounds of the warm guitar, while I fell in love with Nicola’s soothing, comforting voice. Very few albums ever do that to me, and I already can’t wait for her next effort so she can do it to me again and again. Review of Forbidden Moments - Jamsphere Magazine

“Nicola, I'm glad to have had the chance to check out your work. Your experience, talent, and dedication are quickly evident listening to these tracks. The performances are consistently solid and tasteful. Your sultry and soulful vocal approach is a great fit for the flavor of the songs. The band sounds superb on Just A Kiss. I wish you the best Nicola with your continued success!”
- Taxi.com (the World’s Leading A&R Company)

“Perth jazz sweetheart Nicola Milan has released her debut EP filled with sweet sounding smooth jazz. Fans of Lily Dior will heartily approve, this is a very encouraging debut from the artist.”

06 February 2012

- Little Rendezvous EP Review

“Perth chanteuse Nicola Milan turns up the sultry attitude in “A Real Man”, telling it how it is with a smouldering and husky delivery. The bluesy-jazz fusion melody is the perfect accompaniment to give the track that extra kick. All round some great local musicianship on display here.”

Alicia Sim – The Wire Magazine (The West Australian Newspaper). Review of the single “A Real Man” from “Little Rendezvous”
16 August 2012
- The Wire Magazine

Saturday 3rd December, 2011 – Review by Declan Luketina

The sauciness of Perth’s jazz darling Nicola Milan was dripping from the stage for the launch of her debut EP ‘Little Rendezvous’ at Kulcha on a melting December 3rd Saturday night.

Backed by the finest jazzed-up musicians, Nicola Milan seemed determined to make people yearn for their long-forgotten dance moves. In an instance the wispiness of her fantasising voice pulled in the audience. This combined with the deep thumping double bass from Rohan Nelson and the fanning of snares by Naomi Tan made everyone tap their feet in unison.

Attention was drawn away like a magicians trick towards the middle of ‘Have You Met Sir James’ and the brilliant MICHAEL COLLINSON on the saxophone perked up everyone’s ears. Billed as a special guest, Collinson took on a number of solos as if he had four lungs and twenty quick fingers. The piped-up saxophone took away the attention from the main star of the night, as Milan awkwardly bopped about and occasionally her voice was drowned out from the high pitched free styling sax.

However this was not the case during the ballad ‘The Chapter You Wrote in My Life’ from the EP, as she entwined herself with the audience flowing with deep sorrow. Suddenly her playfulness was brought forward as she performed a series of Christmas songs, oozing a unique brand of cheeky charisma that would even give Zooey Deschanel a run for her money.

During a rendition of Bing Crosby’s famous ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’ the irony of winter snow loomed as she exchanged banter with her right-hand man Ben “Piano King” Clarke about the heat. Onlookers attempted to cool themselves with napkin fans from either the heat or the hotness of Nicola Milan herself performing the milky smooth title track, ‘Little Rendezvous’. A spicy Latin ‘A Lonely Flute’ (replaced with a clarinet) arrived, along with a belly dancer that hypnotised the audience and Milan herself thinking she had dance moves.

After a breather Milan and the band returned fully composed to perform a short bouncy number that included a human trumpet by Clarke. Claiming she was a timeless romantic with her new song ‘Romeo and Juliet’ which held true to clichéd romanticism. Milan didn’t shy away from her own renditions from diverse classics such as an orchestral-like ‘What a Wonderful World’ and ‘Route 66’ with the plucked flanging guitar of Chris Sealey.

A highlight of the night was the Piano King himself Ben Clarke performing the comedic ‘Santa Claus Blues’ which was done with the famous cockney accent of Michael Caine. Nicola returned with a boogie-woogie ‘He’s Trouble’ which elevated her with a variety of jazzy scats – as well as the band themselves performing their own solos – trading off rounds of applause as they completed their energised last song from the EP.

Milan herself remained throughout the night as a cheeky femme fatale who will manage to make people dance on tables and craving to hear that captivating voice once more, even if they do faint from Milan’s own spiciness. - Spaceshipnews.com.au