Patti Smith

Mojo magazine has already declared it "the most powerful album of 2004." The rootsy Trampin' sees Smith lashing out at the U.S. government, reminding the people that they still have the power. Her voice sounds more soulful here than it possibly ever has on tape.

Patti Smith helped give birth to punk rock, inspired countless women to pick up guitars and
microphones, turned her back on fame twice to raise a family, returned both times with
escalated grace and wisdom, and, most of all, recorded 1975's Horses, one of the finest
albums ever. But as with Bruce Springsteen and even Bob Dylan, her music doesn't always
meet the lofty standards of her lyrics and her live performances. Like those oth... More >

No, she hasn't regained her sense of humor, but aren't you fast losing yours? "I'm no Sufi but I'll give it a whirl" makes light enough of the mystic path her political obsessions follow. And if sometimes her hymns vague out like "Trespasses" or over-generalize like "Jubilee," the boho reminisce of "In My Blakean Year" represents where she's coming from, the sweet solemnity of "Gandhi" and "Peaceable Kingdom" sings the sacred, and the amateur-Arabist rant-and-release of "Radio Baghdad" speaks poetry to power. It won't prevail. But it's a comfort. (Grade - B+)