Pieces of Me is the latest six-track EP from Danny Marcus. It’s a beautiful collection of songs. “17 Again” is the tender, heartfelt opener to the release. A glorious acoustic guitar progression, gentle synth keys and a bopping drum beat underpin Marcus’ wonderfully-sung and incredibly catchy vocal hooks. It reminds me of the type of pop-rock ballad that would have soared to the top of the charts in the ’00s, and I honestly miss music with this kind of stripped-back, acoustic, pop flavor. I hope Marcus manages to find an audience for his music.
“Ain’t No Fan” is driven by gently picked acoustic guitar, a rolling drum beat and sliding lead guitar riffs. Danny Marcus delivers more ultra-smooth singing on this ballad, equally as catchy as the opener. The lyrics feel impactful too. It’s clear that Marcus is standing up to the world on this one. Don’t be fooled by the gentle instrumental and sweet, stripped-back singing style. There’s power to the words being sung on this track. “I ain’t afraid to love / I ain’t afraid of crying / I ain’t afraid to dream / I ain’t afraid of dying.” It’s more than a well-written instrumental — beyond the compositional elements of the track, Marcus proves that he can also pen meaningful, powerful lyrics. This is a great track.
“Love For You, Long For You” is another stunning track on the album. Love the tenderly strummed acoustic guitar and muted, delicate percussion. There’s subtle complexity to the instrumentation on offer here. On the surface, the song is soft and stripped back, but the finger-picking and inter-lapping melodies are all so well interwoven. Another fantastic track. If I had to choose a favorite, of course, then it would have to be the album’s title track. “Pieces of Me” is driven by a punchy beat, a catchy chord progression and,surprisingly, electrifying electric guitar power chords in the choruses. After an album full of gentle ballads, I was caught off-guard by more of a strait-laced rock closer to the record. I think this is Marcus’ most powerful song on the album, and I’d definitely suggest he focus on honing this style of song more in the future — given that he named the album after this particular track, I’d wager he’s well-aware of its strength as a song. I absolutely love the vocal melody in the choruses on this one. It’s definitely a track that sticks in your head.