Following on the heels of his Liveness EP, NorCal singer-songwriter, Patrick Ames is back with perhaps his most powerful song – “Reawakened 2020.”
Explaining the song’s genesis, Ames says, “I wrote ‘Reawakened’ in January 2017 during Trump’s Inauguration Day ceremonies in Washington, D.C. I couldn’t watch the proceedings so I went into the music studio and locked myself in. Wrote the song, wrote the lyrics, and recorded about a third of the tracks. It appeared on my EP Four Faces, released March 2017.”
Ames goes on to tell how, during the pandemic, he recorded 14-tracks, forming a compilation of the best of his songs – a Best of Patrick Ames. However, he never recorded “Reawakened,” although he gave it a whirl, trying acoustic versions, which just didn’t work.
According to Ames, “I tried a couple of acoustic versions and then realized that what I needed was someone else going the exact other way, to produce a remixed and remastered version of the classic song. I turned to Jon Ireson, who had done the M&M for my last EP, Liveness.”
Ireson worked his magic, making the song bigger and more resonant, but still true to the original. Chana and Mikaela Matthews injected the vocals with galvanizing energy.
The heady extravagance of Motown music and the elegance of opera formed Ames’ influences growing up. When his elder brothers took off for college, he got their guitar. He began writing songs. When he took off for college, he was still writing songs, as well as performing for live audiences.
After graduation, Ames entered the world of book publishing, pushing his music to the back burner. Twenty-five years later, things came to a boil.
“I bought my son a cheap Fender and amp. He didn’t like it. I loved it. I cranked it up and played with abandon. And then it all came back, in spades,” shares Ames.
Ames, who now lives in Napa, California, calls “Reawakened 2020” “Rockhouse gospel.”
“Reawakened 2020” opens on swampy, bluesy gospel flavors rife with pulsating, deliciously sleazy rock textures, as Ames’ rasping, growling-lite voice infuses the lyrics with urgency and imminence. Glowing gospel harmonies from Chana and Mikaela imbue the harmonics with dripping gooey surfaces, creamy and oh so tasty.
“The hour has come for the power of belief / That the good in us all / is about to be released / The hour has come for the power of belief / That the good in us all / is about to be released.”
Patrick Ames delivers the goods on this track – big sound, viscous textures, a bewitching rhythm, and gloriously alluring vocals.
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