The Singles Jukebox

Fire in the honky-tonk; fire in the Taco Bell…

[Video]
[4.86]

Jessica Doyle: I like her, I like her voice, but the source of the danger is so vaguely presented the song ends up sounding risk-free.
[5]

Katie Gill: It’s a little ridiculous priding yourself on being a rule-breaker when the song itself is nothing but safe.
[4]

Jonathan Bradley: Some alarms clang with urgency; others are the type that have you shuffling out of your apartment block to wait around until the fire department shows up to affirm that, yes, as the lack of smoke and flames ably demonstrated, there was no actual emergency. Kira Isabella establishes a slinky groove, but her alarums are little cause for panic.
[5]

Alex Clifton: I wish Kira Isabella was willing to take a few more risks for a song like “Danger Danger”; overall it’s played relatively safe. But the hook itself is killer, and Isabella’s vocal performance is winning enough to let me forget most of my qualms. (Also, does anyone else hear the melody from “Whataya Want From Me” in here?)
[6]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: From the lyrics to the arrangement to the guitar solo, “Danger Danger” is awkwardly safe. Kira Isabella sounds so unbelievable throughout this that I’m led to believe that she would’ve had more success with a song about wanting to take risks but being afraid to do so. “You can call me crazy,” she sings. I’m not sure who would.
[2]

Taylor Alatorre: The plaintiveness of the beginning suggests fatalism, but the expansive, forward-leaning chorus suggests willfulness. So which is it? Probably both — the former is mainly used to rationalize her risky decision-making, while the latter is what plays in her head when she’s convinced herself those risks were worth it. It’s a savvy little character profile, and what it lacks in narrative specificity it makes up for in lyrical ingenuity. “I love right past the caution tape” is about as simple and direct as you can get without resorting to cliché, and it fits with the theme without sounding shoehorned in. The storm-chaser metaphor is also spot-on; more songs should reference the very cool act of storm chasing, in my opinion. Isabella has a knack for songs that would sound at home in a packed stadium yet still carry the whiff of hushed intimacy, and “Danger Danger” is no exception.
[8]

Katherine St Asaph: Maren Morris is another artist I root for more in theory than practice; the MOR-ness of too many of her songs is easier to notice when they’re recorded by someone else.
[4]