Patti Zlaket Steps Into the Light Again With “Clock Keeps Tickin’”

October 06, 2025

Patti Zlaket Steps Into the Light Again With “Clock Keeps Tickin’”

Time has a way of finding its way back to those who never quite left its rhythm, and Patti Zlaket seems to have gotten the pace going once more. Following a year that's been one renaissance after another—a shining trilogy of remastered albums on Meridian (ECR Music Group) which brought her music back into circulation for a new generation—Zlaket returns not wistful, but with purpose. September 30th saw her release the first single from her forthcoming album Dance Again, "Clock Keeps Tickin'", a track that reflects urgency as much as poise: the rhythm of time, and the will to keep on moving within it.

Behind the gleaming comeback is a dream team. Written by Tariqh Akoni—whose clients include Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, and Weezer—the track gleams thanks to industry veterans. Standout among them is Lee Sklar, the illustrious bassist who has worked with Phil Collins, James Taylor, and Linda Ronstadt. It was Sklar, in fact, who re-lit the flames that smoldered to produce Dance Again. When Zlaket saw Immediate Family, the documentary about Sklar and his friends, which won the award, something in her snapped to attention. "It was like I was watching the soundtrack of my life," she says. "That night, I knew the break was over.".

What followed was a leap of faith that evolved into creative destiny. Zlaket reached out to Sklar—just to say thank you—and before long was writing with him, Akoni, and a veritable who's who of musicians. They crafted Dance Again, an album that encapsulates Zlaket's evolution: tough, soulful, and radiant with life experience.

"Clock Keeps Tickin'," written by her longtime collaborator Gary Hyde, is both personal biography and cosmic chant. It's a song that tantalizes between hope and despair, acknowledging the relentless movement of time but embracing the beauty of second chances. For Zlaket—pianist, songwriter, traveler, lawyer, idealist—this single song is not a comeback. It's a new beginning. A declaration that no matter how many seasons pass, the beat of the heart, just as the clock, keeps on tickin'.