Re: Twelve is #32 on Amazon right now..

["Lance Link" <lancelink123>]

*Amazon.com*
Both a stopgap release until Patti Smith writes another album's worth of
material and a way to keep her name in front of the public after her highly
publicized 2007 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this set of a
dozen covers finds the singer/poet in an unusually reflective mode. Some of
the sources are obvious for those familiar with Smith's influences (the
Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan), some less so (Paul Simon, Nirvana,
Jefferson Airplane, Neil Young), and a few come out of left field (the
Allman Brothers Band, Stevie Wonder, Tears for Fears). Smith's innate class
and approach guarantees there's nothing awful here, but there also isn't
much that stamps these versions with her own vision. She does little more
than deliver the words in her unique spoken/sung voice and--except for
adding a banjo and her own poetry to an acoustic "Smells Like Teen
Spirit"--keeps the arrangements close to the originals. At times she seems
distant from the material, running through the Doors' "Soul Kitchen" and
Young's "Helpless" with an oddly soulless detachment. Likewise, her band
seems to be on autopilot, playing with little emotional involvement or
attempts to bring fresh interpretations to tunes that are, with the
exception of Dylan's "Changing of the Guard," surprisingly unimaginative
choices. Considering the raging and extreme overhaul Smith did on Van
Morrison's "Gloria" and the Who's "My Generation" in her younger days, this
quieter, gentler approach seems flaccid, even bland in comparison. *--Hal
Horowitz*


On 4/25/07, Becky King <rlking> wrote:
>
> And so far I absolutely love this CD.. great stuff.  I am especially high
> on
> Within You, Without You.