REVIEW: Patti Smith, Peace and Noise (Arista)
- Joann D. Ball
Peace and Noise is Patti Smith's second release since 1996. And this is definitely a signal that she may again produce records with the frequency and intensity of her work with the Patti Smith Group during the 1970s.
Having dealt with the grief of losing her brother and her beloved husband, Fred "Sonic" Smith, on the recent Gone Again, Smith now explores the past, present and future of America with characteristic passion and vision. With the help of a solid band comprised of Lenny Kaye (guitar) and J.D. Daugherty (drums) from the Patti Smith Group, and newcomers Oliver Ray (guitar) Tony Shanahan (bass), Smith rocks with a renewed sense of direction and energy. And her writing is just as ambitious as it was over two decades ago, frequently blending spoken word with textured instrumentation.
While Smith shares songwriting credits with at least one of her bandmates on 9 of the 10 tracks, the collaboration with Ray seems especially promising and produced four songs.
The most accessible tracks on Peace and Noise are the first three. The record opens with the religious fervor of the multi-layered "Waiting Underground," which features prominent piano and a sample of "Prayer Meeting" from the Smithsonian Folkways recording Negro Folks Music of Alabama, Volume II. Next are the two radio friendly rockers, the bass driven "Whirl Away" and the bouncy "1959." While the latter celebrates the unfulfilled American Dream and promise of the fabulous fifties, Smith turns her attention to the beat generation on "Spell." Poetry meets rock as she uses the late Allen Ginsberg's footnote to "Howl" as lyrics over a mix of hypnotic guitars and percussion. And on the streetwise hustle and shuffle of "Don't Say Nothing," a statement about personal responsibility, she fully captures Ginsberg's spirit.
On "Dead City" Smith embodies grit and grime as she snarls and spews forth the lyrics through a swirl of guitars and over Shanahan's ass-kicking bass lines and Daugherty's tight beat. On the lighter side, "Blue Poles" evokes classic Neil Young with its harmonica and acoustic country-folk rock feel. And it's followed by "Death Singing" is a charged wake up call about the AIDS epidemic.
But the most adventurous track here is "Memento Mori," which was improvised live in the studio. A ten-and-a-half minute epic about a helicopter accident during the Vietnam War, this communal effort is proof that Smith and her band are very much in synch. Its a slightly funky, psychedelic journey that alternates between highs and lows and concludes in a high speed crash. It segues right into the record closer "Last Call," on which lone guest artist Michael Stipe of REM provides hushed backing vocals, echoing Smith on this response to the Heaven's Gate suicides.
Fans of Patti Smith Group masterpieces Horses, Radio Ethiopia and Easter will find much to enjoy on this record. Smith is clearly in classic form here, thanks to a musical and spiritual solidarity with her four bandmates. A record that demands the listener's complete attention, it is as cerebral as it is emotional. Thus, it may take those who prefer Smith's pop sensibilities, most evident on Wave and Dream of Life, and curious newcomers a bit of time and effort to fully comprehend. But ultimately they too should find in Peace and Noise an immensely rewarding piece from one of the last great rock poets.
