Album Review: Patti Smith - Banga

Age shall not weary them, and Patti Smith is anything but weary. Opener Amerigo is recognisable but contemporary, the type of thing PJ Harvey will no doubt be furiously adding to her inspiration notebook. This Is The Girl, Smith's tribute to Amy Winehouse is particularly brilliant – an old-school '50s-like waltz complete with a creeping organ accompaniment that goes from near pop to almost country-like darkness. It's one thing when Smith sings, “This is the girl for whom all tears fall/This is the girl who's having a ball”, but when she repeats it slowly, directly, spoken, it's chillingly beautiful (and a fitting tribute to a girl who herself knew exactly where and how to walk the pop/schmaltz line). The title track is rousing and un-harmonious, not quite as calamitous as the old-school Smith, but certainly on the same page (and you can't beat the line “shit it out in a golden commode” to prove she's still got her 'tude), while for a gear change, try sultry ballad Maria.

The real kicker is Constantine's Dream, a track tucked away towards the end of the album with an acoustic guitar accompaniment and the odd, well placed gong (seriously), creating a medieval mythic serenade. An unrecognisable male voice speaking in tongues (or at least, in something other than English) comes in to support, again as Smith launches into a half-spoken/half-sung second half, and here an accordion is added just because she could. Epic but still reserved, and beautifully crafted, Smith remains an interesting and provocative force who refuses to rest on past glories.