TWELVE - PATTI SMITH
Patti Smith has been reinterpreting other artists’ work since the genesis of her career, famously launching her debut album with a subversive reclamation of Them’s “Gloria.” More than 30 years later, at 60, Smith releases her first all-covers disc, and while the emphasis is on rough-hewn punk deconstructions, bold statements abound. Smith and her trusty band largely strip arrangements bare, lyrical and emotional content taking center stage. “Are You Experienced?” is decelerated and cut open, Smith weaving in apt cosmic poetry from Hendrix’s “1983.” A daring bluegrass reworking of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” simply startles, Smith’s wizened voice transfiguring a song that’s come to define youthful disaffection. Two other standouts, “Gimme Shelter” and “Pastime Paradise,” are imbued with fresh urgency, underscoring the album’s pointed anti-status-quo theme. Billboard
