In some bizarre way, I think, that is what Smith might hope to accomplish with this record. Everything contained in it, from the militant insistence of her voice intertwining with the percussion on “Are You Experienced?,” the plaintive surrender of “Helpless,” the feral seduction of “Gimme Shelter,” the buoyant staccato of “The Boy In The Bubble,” the eerie gloom of the banjo playing on “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” to the seductive harmonies on “Pastime Paradise,” all are musical apostles, if you will excuse the lame comparison, bringing notice to the fact that Patti Smith is where she’s always been.
She’s standing there, right in front of a microphone, singing to us and revealing herself through her music and words, just like she has always been doing. I’m sure she was flattered when she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently, but I’d be willing to bet that she felt more joy and accomplishment singing these songs than she did being singled out for doing something she has no choice in doing.
She has to sing — she has to be Patti Smith. All you and I have to do is sit back and listen, whether to one of her classic albums, or to Twelve, a damned fine album in its own right.
Track Listing:
01. Are You Experienced?
02. Everybody Wants To Rule The World?
03. Helpless
04. Gimme Shelter
05. Within You Without You
06. White Rabbit
07. Changing Of The Guard
08. The Boy In The Bubble
09. Soul Kitchen
10. Smells Like Teen Spirit
11. Midnight Rider
12. Pastime Paradise
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.