Artists appearing on the quirky “10 Parts, Pieces, Elements & Fragments Songs” include Anderson East, Cole Swindell, and Kehlani.

Yeah, we totally PIECED this playlist together. Interestingly, the concept for this playlist existed long before the final product materialized. Breaking down the playlist at hand, 10 Parts, Pieces, Elements & Fragments Songs is comprised of 10 songs. Duh – that’s what the title said DUMMY! Beyond the overall quantity, this playlist is subdivided into four sections.  The first section, PARTS features two songs.  The second section, PIECES, features three songs.  The third section, ELEMENTS, also contains three songs, while the final section, FRAGMENTS, contains just two.  Artists appearing on this quirky playlist include Anderson East, Cole Swindell, and Kehlani.

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I. Parts

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Parts:“One of several or many equal units of which something is composed or into which it is divisible.”

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1. Daniel Caesar, “Best Part” (Ft. H.E.R.)

Freudian • Golden Child Recordings • 2017

Rising Canadian R&B artist Daniel Caesar deservedly earned two Grammy nominations for his debut album, Freudian (Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Album).  Among a number of bright spots on the album is “Best Part,” the second track featuring H.E.R.  While “Best Part” has the arduous task of following a juggernaut (“Get You” featuring Kali Uchis), it’s no slouch. “Best Part” is slow and sensual.  Guitar accompaniment helps to establish a simple, romantic vibe. The vocal chemistry between Caesar and H.E.R. is top-notch.

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2. ScHoolboy Q, “That Part” (Ft. Kanye West)

Blank Face LP • Interscope • 2016

“That Part” is arguably most commercial statement West Coast rapper ScHoolboy Q makes on his 2016 Grammy-nominated album Blank Face LP.  That said, “That Part” isn’t a pop-crossover hit per se – it’s quirky and distinct.  The hook is incredibly catchy, the production dark and striking to the ear, while Kanye West is perfect collaborative match for Q here.

“Me no conversate with the fake, that part

All my bitches independent bitches, that part

I just want the paper, that part

All my bitches flavored

That part, that part, that part, that part.”

More Recommended PARTS: AJR, “The Good Part”(The Click, 2017); Andy Grammer, “The Good Parts”(The Good Parts, 2017); Manchester Orchestra, “The Parts” (A Black Mile to the Surface, 2017); Roger Waters, “Part of Me Died”(Is This the Life We Really Want?, 2017); Katy Perry, “Part of Me”(Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, 2012)

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II. Pieces

Pieces: “a part of a whole…”

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1. Anderson East, “Somebody Pick Up My Pieces”

Writers: Willie Nelson « Producer: Dave Cobb

Encore • Elektra • 2018

Singer/songwriter Anderson East outdid himself on his sophomore album, Encore. Among the gems is the magnificent, five-minute penultimate cut, “Somebody Pick Up My Pieces.” “Somebody Pick Up My Pieces” is southern to the core, but also exhibits classic 70s pop-rock sensibility that expands beyond the south.  Perhaps there’s a reason for this magnificence beyond East himself – it’s a Willie Nelson classic.

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2. Kehlani, “Piece of Mind”

SweetSexySavage • Atlantic • 2017

Somehow, SweetSexySavage, the proper debut album by Kehlani, ended up being among the more underrated projects of 2017. There was no reason whatsoever for this, considering SSS is jam-packed full of hits.  The song at hand, “Piece of Mind,” is silky smooth, a common characterization of Kehlani and the album as a whole.  The production is modern, in the hip-hop idiom, while the vocals embody the seductiveness of R&B.  The premise of the song? Kehlani is trying to be the best, strongest version of herself that she can be, and rid of the negative parts.

“Said I’m tryna break off a piece of mind

A piece of mind that I can’t get right

Said I’m tryna break off a piece of mind

A piece of mind, my heart’s on my side.”

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3. Wale, “Golden Salvation (Jesus Piece)”

The Gifted • Atlantic • 2013

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Years before rapping about “Fashion Week” and dumbing things downon his 2017 album Shine, Wale delivers some clever wordplay on “Golden Salvation (Jesus Piece).” “Golden Salvation (Jesus Piece) was one of thegems from his 2013, no. 1 album, The Gifted.  A material versus spiritual effort, the play on words is “piece” versus “piece” as in Jesus piece (golden jewelry) and Jesus peace (more golden salvation).

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More Recommended PIECES: j-hope, “P.O.P (Piece of Peace) pt. 1” (Hope World, 2018); Tory Lanez, “Pieces” (MEMORIES DON’T DIE, 2018); Kelly Clarkson, “Piece by Piece” (Piece by Piece, 2015); Ledisi, “Pieces of Me” (Pieces of Me, 2011); Britney Spears, “Piece of Me” (Blackout, 2007)

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III. Elements

Elements: 1a: “any of the four substances air, water, fire, and earth formerly believed to compose the physical universe” or 2a: “a constituent part.”

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1. Kendrick Lamar, “ELEMENT.”

DAMN. • Interscope • 2017

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Kendrick Lamar exhibits toughness on “ELEMENT,” the fourth track off of his Pulitzer-winning DAMN. Edgy, on the first verse, he asserts, “[I’ll] Put the Bible down and go eye for an eye for this shit.”  On the second, he states, “I’m allergic to a bitch n*gga.” By the end of the third verse, he confronts the change in demeanor

“… Last LP I tried to lift the black artists

But it’s a difference between black artists and wack artists.”  

Get ‘em K-Dot. On the hook captures his approach splendidly:

“If I gotta slap a pussy-ass n*gga, I’ma make it look sexy / If I gotta go hard on a bitch, I’ma make it look sexy… / They won’t take me out of my element

/ Nah, take me out my element.”

With “ELEMENT.,” Kendrick Lamar covers the entire period table of elements… well not specifically…

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2. Evanescence, “Lithium”

Synthesis • BMG Rights Management • 2017

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Addressing the elephant in the room, the Evanescence gem “Lithium” did arrive prior to the above-given 2017 date.  The version that appears on the 2017 album Synthesis differs from the original that hails from 2006’s The Open Door.  How so? Synthesis is an album comprised of a of reworked songs, incorporating more symphonic elements into originals.  Even with its orchestral touches, “Lithium” retains the chilling, dramatic, and haunting nature of the original.  Amy Lee and company masterfully cover the third element on the period table, sigh.

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3. Dirty Heads, “Oxygen”

Dirty Heads • Five Seven Music • 2016

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Dirty Heads bring us the eighth element on the periodic table,“Oxygen.” On “Oxygen,” Duddy B handles the verses while Dirty J delivers the majority of the chorus.  The chorus is the centerpiece, in which the life-saving oxygen is provided. Dirty J sings:

“Please don’t go, I will stay
When everyone is leaving and you’re feeling strange
See them all, hear them say
Trying to breathe, but you’re feeling strange
Oh whoa, feel like you’re living, but you might be better off dead
If you’re going under, then I’ll be your oxygen.”

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More Recommended ELEMENTS: Sia, David Guetta & Afrojack, “Helium”(Helium (Sia vs. David Guetta & Afrojack) – Single, 2018); August Burns Red, “Carbon Copy”(Phantom Anthem, 2017); Lil Uzi Vert “Neon Guts”(Luv is Rage 2, 2017); David Guetta (Ft. Sia), “Titanium”(Nothing But the Beat, 2011); Nirvana, “Lithium”(Nevermind, 1990)

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IV. Fragments

Fragments: “A broken part or piece of something” (noun) or “to break or cause (something) to break into parts or pieces” (verb).

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1. Cole Swindell, “Break Up in the End”

Break Up in the End – Single • Warner Bros. • 2018

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Georgia country artist Cole Swindell delivered a beautiful, well-performed new single at the end of February 2018, “Break Up in the End”.  Acoustic guitar, bass drum thud serves as the primary accompaniment during the first verse, where Swindell sings:

“I still walk in that bar a little drunk

I still ask you what you’re drinking, what’s your name

I still kiss you by the shuffleboard, last call at 2am

Even though we break up in the end.”

It doesn’t take much to figure out where Swindell is going. If the verses don’t do the trick, the chorus does.

“Even if I knew you’d be the one that got away

I’d still go back and get you

Even if I knew you’d be my best and worst mistake

Oh, I’d still make it with you

Over and over, again and again

Even though we break up in the end.”

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2. The Chainsmokers, “Break Up Every Night”

Memories…Do Not Open • Columbia • 2017

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“Break Up Every Night” is something like The Chainsmokers’ version of Katy Perry hit, “Hot N Cold.”  This up-tempo, enthusiastic gem finds Andrew Taggart detailing a love-hate relationship. It’s oversimplified mind you but give Drew credit for exhibiting a smidge of personality.

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“She wants to break up every night…

Don’t wanna wait until she finally decides to feel it

She wants to break up every night

Then tries to fuck me back to life

How can I help it if I like the way she makes me feel it?”

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More Recommended FRAGMENTS: Jaymes Young, “Fragments” (Fragments); Jack Johnson, “Fragments – From the Film ‘The Smog of the Sea’” (All the Light Above It Too, 2017); Daft Punk, “Fragments of Time” (Random Access Memories, 2013); Sam Hunt,“Break Up in a Small Town” (Montevallo, 2013); Mario, “Break Up” (D.N.A., 2009)

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