Of the most recent phases of Patti Smith’s musical output (always surprising since 1996’s Kurt Cobain tribute ‘Gone Again’), ‘Banga’ is by far the most successful. On it she strikes a compelling balance between poetry and musicality. The instrumentation soundtracks the imagery, rather than simply buffering it with noise. Like murder ballads turned on their heads, she offers a message of hope in a world of turmoil. Vocally, she is at her softest and strongest. And nostalgia is irrelevant here – Patti Smith is more than a mere footnote in musical history; she’s as important now as she was when she was kicking up dust at CBGB.
Hayley Avron