New Jersey folk/pop artist Danny Marcus recently completed a six-song EP titled Pieces Of Me, featuring songs that are already burning up radio playlists and iTunes charts. Writing and performing since the age of 13, Marcus’ songs have been described as “simple yet emotionally complex” and “melodic and catchy with honest, heartfelt lyrics.” He’s headlined notable east coast venues like the Bowery Ballroom, the Mercury Lounge and Maxwell’s, and is currently booking acoustic shows in the tri-state area.
These six songs were recorded at Soultrain Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee with production by Art Ward and mixing by engineer Justin Cortelyou.
“17 Again” immediately shows off Marcus’ clean, bright acoustic sound with a beautiful, high-pitched singing voice that sounds much younger than his cover photo! The subject matter also skews much younger, very much like Big Star’s “Thirteen.” That’s a few years difference, but Marcus takes us through those early years with both fondness and melancholy: “Would you make the same mistakes / If you could do it all again / Or would you change it up instead / If you could just go back…” A beautifully constructed and performed opener, with what sounds like a studio full of professional players all mixed to perfection.
“Ain’t No Fan” increases the tempo a bit, showing off Marcus’ agility in acoustic guitar picking. Marcus builds the song around a list of things he really doesn’t like (Mondays, dying, fighting, etc.) followed by things he’s not afraid to experience, and some things appear on both lists! The electric guitars create dramatic punctuations during the choruses, and the song almost subliminally increases in power as it moves forward.
Calling a song “Beautiful” is a gutsy move, as anything less than that would be a disappointment. Marcus moves his lead vocal much closer to the mic like the classic ‘70s singer/songwriters, with a performance like the best work of John Denver or Harry Chapin. He adds his harmonies judiciously and I daresay the second chorus gave me chills the higher he sang. “California” had me just from the title, as I’m a sucker for songs about my home state. Marcus weaves a tale about Southern California, specifically Venice Beach “to watch the Muscle Heads in the heat / I said I could do that too!” This song has the charm and lyrical specificity of a Jimmy Webb song, and I love the idea that Marcus’ lover surrendered to his charms in a place “where everybody’s high.”
“Love You, Long For You” adds piano to the jaunty instrumental arrangement wherein Marcus has a lot of vocal fun with the song’s title (“I, yi yi la la love you”), similar to lyrical inventions by Jimmy Buffett but not quite as smashed on margaritas. It’s nearly impossible not to get swept up in Marcus’ giddy excitement about love.
The title track “Pieces of Me” closes the album with a cool one-two picking scheme with a killer opening line: “I think I’ll wrap myself in tape so I don’t fall apart.” The kick drum is mixed prominently with little blasts of electric guitar after each line, building up to what’s now a classic, full blown Marcus chorus. It seems churlish not to be as excited about Marcus’ concerns as he is, especially when it’s as beautifully performed as this. Not quite a full-blown rocker but almost anthemic in its emotional power.
Though this is a short collection, there’s not a bad track in the bunch, and there’s seemingly much more where these came from. A promising artist clearly about to break through!
