Dearest gentle readers and music fans, let’s give a warm welcome to Vanna Pacella. Vanna Pacella is a singer-songwriter, keyboardist, and synth bassist from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, recognized for her sincere original compositions and energetic performances. This nine-song album is titled “Listen”. The record, which I’m going to talk about, was released on the 25th of July.

The first track is titled “The More I Feel”. This first song is a brief but impactful piano melody. This song is the album’s only instrumental tune, communicating volumes—capturing atmosphere, movement, and meaning with layered textures and subtle shifts in tone. The piano melody glides smoothly, and it soothes you. It sets the right tone for the album.

The title track of the album is called “Listen”. The song opens with a breathtaking and glacial piano melody that is later fused with a lovely drum beat. The song is a delicate yet disturbed exposition of the road that a songwriter/musician takes. Being an artist doesn’t come easy, even if you are talented, and by exposing the struggles, Vanna is urging us to appreciate our artists and give them their flowers. Musically, there is not much to say because Vanna just blew my mind. From the vocals, to the harmonies to the instrumentation, I was so smitten. Not only is it entertaining, but it is also profound, and listeners will get to connect more with her

The song that follows is called “The Dark Side of the Light”. The song opens with a bright piano. The song delves deeply into the sorrow of attachment and inner turbulence. The character is fighting her inner demons and feels lost. Musically, Vanna shows a different facet of her voice, and it is just so catchy. The instrumentation and the vocals made me feel like I was a deer in headlights because it was just so enthralling. This is yet another amazing song on this album.

“All I ever wanted” is up next. The song opens with a melody that is a mixture of guitar and drum sound that unleashes an emotional flow of love and longing. The character in the song has gotten the chance to be with the person she has always dreamed of, but not everything is as it seems, and the character learned this the hard way and soon becomes so miserable. Again, we hear another side of Vanna’s impeccable vocals. This song was drop-dead gorgeous!

Up next is the song “Holding my breath”. The song opens with a rock and heavy acoustic intro that will captivate you, confronting the challenges of growing up—a bold meditation on time, reflection, and selfhood. Musically, this song has an amazing electric guitar solo that completely blew my mind. The instrumentation really suited the vocal performance, and it fit the vibe and the theme of the song.

The next song is called “Come and Go(what have I done?). This song opens with a cool keyboard and vocal melody. Through the song, we meet a persona stuck in an endless cycle and portray the cyclical nature of human interaction, portraying the bittersweet pattern of lessons learnt over and over. This song has the winning combination of Vanna’s powerhouse vocals and an amazing electric guitar melody, supporting it throughout

“Wolf” is the song that follows on the record. The song opens with a bold yet emotive piano melody. The song reflects on the push-and-pull dynamic of a toxic relationship, where love, fear, and resignation blend, trapping the narrator in a painful, repeated cycle from which it is difficult to break free. In the song, the character has a very strong hold on someone. The character in the song feels like she’s in captivity because of how he treats her. At first glance, you might think that the character is in a good relationship, but, after a while, you can tell that, even though she loves this man, she feels trapped and, in all honesty, has lost all hope for any individualism. Musically, Vanna’s voice is as bright and clear as the sky, and the instrumentation was truly remarkable.

“Fold” is the next song on the album. This song opens with a very unique, intricate, and amazing guitar melody. It is both a realization of forgiveness and a reclamation—a breathtaking picture of recovering one’s power after being injured and finding yourself after you lose your power. Musically, Vanna brings the vibe of Billie Eilish’s voice and aura to this song, so we get a deeply emotive and wonderful song.

The last song on the album is called “The less I know”. This song’s intro is much more upbeat than the other songs on the album. I loved how foot tapping it was. The song stands out as an evocative journey through confusion, loss, passion, and eventual acceptance. These are common feelings after a breakup. She is so hurt and messed up by the breakup. This song really resonated with me, and I am glad to know that I am not alone in this, or the only person who has faced this situation. The vocal performance was as perfect as always. Vanna really shone in this particular song, and the vocals were in perfect sync with the instrumentation. This beautiful song ends the album.

This album is a daring, self-produced examination of love, loss, healing, growth, and artistic endurance. Pacella, at the age of 18, has created an introspective yet globally relatable song that demonstrates her development as a lyricist as well as her brave and uncompromising artistic vision. I am now a fan of hers, and I am excited to witness her rise to mega stardom.

Stream the “Listen” album on Spotify.

Follow Vanna Pacella on her socials: Facebook, Instagram