A Slow Grow

This duo is truly something special. Sena and the Hungarian DJ Vadim met at a festival in Budapest in 2005. Since then, they have collaborated on a number of projects. Sena was featured on Vadim’s album Talk to Me, and this project eventually led to creating an album together. From the calm, electric “There’s A Moment” to the stunning “Grow Slow,” it is full of variety. Unfortunately, it takes much too long to get to the real meat of the music within the tracks themselves, as well as in the album as a whole.

Grow Slow is aptly named. Consisting of ten tracks, it does not truly come into its own until “Grow Slow,” the sixth track. Though the moans that serve as the intro are a bit much, the slow bass and the R&B style suit Sena’s voice. The production elements on this track add to its beauty as well. There’s slight static, a light synth in the background — all behind conventional instruments. This song is when the listener is made aware of Sena’s obvious talent.

“Work Hard,” Grow Slow’s second track is, for lack of a more accurate word, cool. The lyrics are well written, it’s half reggae, half R&B, with a strong Afro beat. The hook is an absolute earworm. It’s one of those songs that should be played at a party, on a boat or in the sun. Unlike “Work Hard,” “Morning Light” has a distinctly bluesy feel. The vocals are warm, lazy and gorgeous. The tone of the guitar perfectly complements the track and Sena, and gives the song a throwback quality.

“Living in the New” is a departure from DJ Vadim & Sena’s usual fare. The vocals are repetitive, there’s a relatively simple beat (with no reggae influence), and there’s little ornamentation. It’s as if they are lifting the veil of production for one five-minute track.

Grow Slow, though a worthwhile listen, is slow to start. It seems to suffer from both a lack of direction and poor structuring. However, it is clear that DJ Vadim & Sena are talented and any time spent on these songs will be spent in a good mood.