Written by Hero Magnus
I’ve been waiting for a new wise and jazzy love ballad, the kind of song that you listen to while your eyes dilate for someone you love. Danielle Juhre’s latest track, “Take it Slow,” is one of those songs and is like a little candle fire in a dark room.
Juhre’s piano-based style reminds me of Norah Jones, one of my absolute favorite musicians. As in much of Jones’ work, Juhre mixes jazz and pop ballads in “Take it Slow,” a song as slow-burning as its title and the instrumental composition is lovely. Throughout the track, Juhre’s voice is powerful, but it doesn’t overwhelm, as it lets the piano move along with her like a wild animal.
Danielle Juhre only has one single out so far from 2017. The song is called “Does She Know,” a playful track with sultry, slightly syncopated drums in the verses. Juhre clearly draws a lot of influence from Motown music in the piece. “Raised on Motown and soul,” reads her Twitter bio. And she’s careful to detail many of her influences on social media, trying to make sure that her fans are familiar with the roots of her soulful style in artists like the Temptations and Aretha Franklin. For “Take it Slow,” she’s working with the same team that Chance the Rapper worked with for his recent album, “The Big Day.” Darius Scott, her partner in this duet, is a member of this team.
“There’s no stopping my love / babe / it don’t matter what they say / when we’re together we know / take it slow,” sings Juhre during the chorus, rolling the words around so beautifully in her mouth. The phrases fit together in a perfect winding path, exploring a love that is patient, but certain.
Scott bursts in on the second verse with confectious contradictions. “So hard to leave you here without saying goodbye / but I was so in love / I couldn’t let you see that side,” he sings. Scott is a great addition, with a buttery-smooth vocal timbre and careful, even vocal runs. I love how the vocalists in this song both sing in service of emotion, not to simply show off their technical skill. Juhre and her duet partner are singing for the song, not the other way around.
The wonderful thing about this song is that it feels so intimate, as though we are sitting there in a room as she comes up with it. Everything is up close in the recording, and this intimacy is unparalleled and raw and very special. The hums in this song, which pop up everywhere after the first chorus, is the only element that takes you a little bit outside of the listening room. But, they’re worth it, to surround the two singers with swirls of sound.
Listen to “Take It Slow” below! Be sure to check out Danielle Juhre’s recent interview with Elicit Magazine!