Patti Zlaket – Dance Again

We all know that for a great album, you need to have a vocalist who will immediately grab the attention of the audience. You can invest time and effort in songwriting, composing, arranging, recording, and producing, polishing each chord progression, synth line, bass line, and beat, but if you aim to capture the momentum and convey tremendous emotion, you have to have a golden voice that will immediately captivate the listening apparatus of even the pickiest listeners. It’s the most important detail of every song or album; no matter which genre you prefer, the voice is a centerpiece that guides listeners. “Dance Again,” Patti Zlaket’s highly anticipated full-length album released on June 5th, not only emphasizes the importance of an exceptional vocal performance but also marks a new chapter for this outstanding artist. Serving as her first new material after two decades, this comprehensive collection of beautiful songs showcases her creativity, talent, experience, and vocal range. What started as a spark lit by legendary bass player Lee Sklar has become a fascinating piece of sonic artistry that engages all the senses and forces you to repeat this wonderful sonic journey all over again.

Once you press play and hear all these songs, you’ll notice that “Dance Again” carries everything you ever needed from a singer-songwriter album. Patti Zlaket combines the singer-songwriter approach with various approaches, enhancements, and styles in order to create an easy-listening and captivating atmosphere where every vocal, sonic, and rhythmic maneuver rewards your attention, patience, and time. And not only that, but “Dance Again” also rewards repeated listens, because there are always some hidden gems, surprises, details, layers, and tiny nuances you may have missed before. It’s one of those albums that simply shines with tremendous qualities. This has a lot to do with the way Zlaket combined music genres. Surely, her music resonates with all the fundamental elements of classic rock, especially the eighties and nineties sound, eras when this style ruled the airwaves. But again, you’ll notice so many other elements included along the way that define, decorate, and elevate these songs to an entirely new level. Acoustic rock, pop rock, modern rock, contemporary pop, sophistipop, indie pop-each one of those music genres found its way into this sonic equation. And while many listeners might say there’s too many styles included, listen carefully to how those songs articulate, and you’ll realize “Dance Again” wouldn’t sound this charming, hypnotic, addictive, and irresistible without that stylistic combination.

“Clock Keeps Tickin’,” the marvelous introductory piece, demonstrates Patti Zlaket’s incredible voice. Her impressive vocal range carries all the emotion, depth, and complexity through the entire composition while simultaneously decorating all the segments. This composition has that lush groove, delivered by Lee Sklar’s outstanding playing. Paired with heavy rhyhtmic patterns, he brings more melody and clarity to the song. The remainder of the instrumentation, such as luxuriant chord progressions and keys, further elevate this beautiful number. Songs like “I’ve Got You,” “Dance Again,” and “Let’s Move On” not only showcase the significant role the impressive vocal performance has in creating captivating ambiance, but also prove that a combination of various genres does wonders for particular songs. For example, “I’ve Got You” blends the finest properties of retro and modern pop rock, “Dance Again” leans into soul and sophistipop waters, while “Let’s Move On” delivers a mash of sophistipop, soul, rhythm and blues, blues, and maybe even some smooth jazz. Each beautiful vocal line, impressive guitar work, lush synth line, intricate bassline, and moderate, well-accentuated rhyhtmic pattern plays a significant role here, creating a calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal, otherworldly ambiance that immediately wraps around the listening apparatus and refuses to let go.

With a fine blend of pop rock and classic rock showcased in the verses, and a Motown-sounding chorus that shifts dynamics on an entirely new level, “Second Chance At Life” is one of those standout songs that indulges your ears. The way the brass section blends with keys, or the way nearly funky chord progressions and groovy basslines articulate through this song, will impress you. Patti Zlaket skillfully balances low, mid, and high notes with precision and finesse, bringing the unfiltered emotion this composition certainly needs. “Someone To Lay Down Beside Me” slows down a bit with all those ethereal keyboard themes and calm beats. The atmosphere expands with even more synth layers, which certainly provide more depth. But wait until you hear how the brass section works in this beautiful love ballad. There’s something about all those punchy, bassy, rich notes that gives more power to this composition, and also, there’s a trumpet solo that spices things up. “Love Is For You” transports you back into the nineties. With the arrangements that bring everything nineties pop rock music stands for, this song screams with nostalgia, but still carries qualities that meet all the trends in contemporary music production. Robbe Wyckoff’s guest vocal appearance brings more soul, passion, and emotion. Paired with Patti Zlaket’s voice, it really works quite well in this sonic equation. This epic journey comes to an end with “This Is Me,” another beautiful ballad that sums up everything Patti Zlaket’s music stands for. It’s such a perfect closure that invites you to spin this marvelous album all over again.

“Dance Again” is a remarkable comeback album that showcases all the brilliance of Patti Zlaket. Her impressive vocal range, Lee Sklar’s incredible bass playing, Robbie Wyckoff’s outstanding guest appearance, all those catchy guitar works, lush brass and synth lines, and groovy drumming define this epic sonic voyage. It’s a soulful, passionate, emotive, captivating journey through various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, a comprehensive collection of meaningful, highly relatable songs that, once you take a deep dive into them, refuse to let go. If you’re looking for a memorable, emotive, beautiful pop-rock album, “Dance Again” will be a perfect pick for you.