Patti Smith: Twelve

“Twelve” is a collection of a dozen classic covers revisiting the material of Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Nirvana, Jefferson Airplane, The Rolling Stones and the Doors to name but a few. Cover versions can be hard work when you know and love the original, but on most of these remakes Patti’s familiar harsh tones seem to add something new and deeper although never veering violently from the original script. My particular favourite is her version of “Smells like Teen Spirit” which strips the song down to its bare bones to reveal even more of the genius of Kurt Cobain.