I love how comfortable this song feels. Daniel Caesar and H.E.R.'s sweet and soulful collaboration "Best Part" is like -- well, like coffee in the morning and sunshine in the rain when it's pouring, as the lyrics say. Over spare instrumentation -- softly plucked guitar, barely-there keyboards -- the artists' voices are the main event, singing in unison and branching into rich harmonies, warm and easy like a fleece blanket on a cold morning. "If life is a movie, then you're the best part" is a maybe-corny, wonderfully endearing line. And even the split-screen video is appropriate for this time of social distancing: two people strolling on two shores at different times of day, separate but connected by the embrace of their song.
BONUS: Choreographer Galen Hooks' dance video, set to this tune, is lovely to watch. With the first verse on a loop, she and her dance partner perform a relaxed routine that feels as much like a real, affectionate date (complete with a selfie moment) as a "proper" dance. Then her students pair up and follow suit. It's worth watching the full video to see the range of diverse pairings; and if some of those dancers aren't real-life couples head-over-heels for each other, then they're extremely good actors. Just a joy to see.
Be well this Tuesday.
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