Pitchfork

Patti Smith is, in my eyes, something of a goddess. I read about her performances and listen to her albums and I'm totally blown away. I've recently become re- addicted to Smith's classic Horses and her 1978 release Easter, so when I heard about this album's release, I was super fuckin' psyched. And I listened to it for about two days straight, hoping it would grow on me. But sadly, it just isn't that great. It's like, my mom did a lot of drugs a long time ago and was probably cool back in the day. But if she started doing drugs now she would just seem pathetic.

During Smith's peak, she was kinda fuckin' with everybody. "Jesus died for somebodys sins, but not mine" is a famous line because it was somewhat controversial while also being something that everyone related to... in a lesbian love song. "Rock N' Roll Nigger" was ridiculed for its lack of tact, but is unarguably one of the great rock songs of the 1970s. Even Smith's mainstream efforts like "Because The Night" were sexy, at the very least. But on Peace and Noise, Smith has lost her artistic vision. The songs remain catchy, but the lyrics prove she's said all she had to say.