Wates’ Lights of Paris – Rare Touching Superb – Songs For Our Times
‘The Day The Great Ship Went Down’, which is taken from the album, won the ‘Outstanding Songwriting Achievement’ award as a Top 5 Finalist in the Great American Song Contest in 2017, and earned a place among the 2018 Kerrville New Folk Finalists. Wates is a tremendously gifted songwriter and musician. His fingers flow along his guitar with the love and passion of a musician who is at one with his instrument. Lights of Paris takes a person on a journey of love, struggle, and then to the lights and hope of Paris. The naked honesty with which Wates writes puts one in a stupor of reflection and warmth. Precious lines in Oh The Times asks future generations for forgiveness. Poignantly, the love song, The Lights of Paris, ‘of memories that once would make us cry . . . the lights of Paris will shine on’ creates an eternal glow of hope in our hearts. One can only want to hear him more and more – on CD or live – and to continue to listen deeply drawing evocative passionate life into the open – deepening and expanding the heart and soul of the simple words: joy and sorrow. Wates is at an essential point in his music with much more greatness to come and terrific music in prior CDs. Lights of Paris CD has deserved rave reviews worldwide. (c) HelenMarion