The first impulse upon listening to Patti Smith’s new album, Twelve, is to wonder why she’s releasing this particular album at this point in her career. For an artist that has occasionally graced audiences with searing covers of other artist’s material, the idea that only now has Smith decided to devote an entire album to such endeavors, can certainly be excused as the reason for some serious consternation. Instead of any kind of proper answer or response, however, it simply is as it is.
Twelve is what Patti Smith wanted to do, so she did it.
Being aware only of a few key songs and moments in the span of her entire body of work, I wonder if that had anything to do with the fact that my own reaction to Twelve, was “Oh, cool! I wonder how she sounds singing this song.” Or, “can she squeeze any more heartache into this song than Neil?”
Staring at the track-listing, it soon became a chore deciding which song I wanted to listen to first. Do I want to hear Patti singing Neil Young’s “Helpless,” which is one of my all-time favorite songs? How about hearing her run through “Gimme Shelter” by the Stones? I know! Let’s hear her singing Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” instead. I chose “Gimme Shelter.”
After just a few moments listening to “Gimme Shelter” my head started nodding up and down and I just felt like I was witness to something raw and alive, coming from my stereo. Considering the age of both the song and of the artist singing, it kind of startled me. If Patti Smith still sounded this good, why the hell didn’t I know about it?
For some reason I just had an idea of her being a kind of recluse that only came out to play an occasional show. Shows how much I know about things, I guess.
Article comments
1 - JC Mosquito
Good for Patti! I glad she still can do what she wants. I wouldn't want her to fall into becoming a nostalgia act - ah, who am I kidding? - as if she'd ever let that happen.