Originally published by L.S. Media. July 9th 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ****
There is no doubting the sincerity in Patti Smith, a woman of true artistic worth who performs music as if she were a female version of Allan Ginsberg or Jim Morrison. A true poet who happens to produce great music as if it was considered to be a mortal sin to be someone who can produce art in many fields, if it was, do you think someone like Patti Smith would care? She would shrug her shoulders and go out produce something of absolute genius such as her latest album, Banga.
This studio album, the 11th in Patti Smith’s career, is the first in five years and concentrates on the musician/poet’s observations of human life in pretty much the same way that the American post war poets such as Ginsberg, Robert Lowell or Anne Stevens did. They all maintained a raw, confessional approach in their writing and whilst there is nothing inherently confessional about Patti Smith, it has the desire and feel of the confession of 21st century human and humanity.
When Patti Smith ushers the words “I Hunger for calling flame, I hunger for the infinite game” on the song Mosiac, this is not just an afterthought to fit in with music created by Jay Dee Daugherty, it is an outpouring that wouldn’t have been out of place in Morrison’s The New Creatures.
Other have tried this approach but it rarely works as well as this, Ms. Smith is to be congratulated for the emotional rollercoaster that gives the album its sense of purpose, a direct correlation between humanity and what we all observe but very often ignore in the pursuit of material gain. There seems no room for honesty in music, there always has to be one eye on the eternal bottom line, thankfully Ms. Smith and the musicians on Banga do their utmost to correct the state of affairs that exists between musical integrity and the joy of hearing well written songs.
The music itself is passionate, as you would expect, and driven and has the distinction of holding the poetry/vocals in check, not becoming overbearing and drowning Ms. Smith’s distinctive and tempting angel like voice.
A wonderful album, it’s just up to the listener to wonder if it’s musical poetry in the Anne Stevens vein or full of songs that leave your heart bursting with emotion and the sense of truth.
Ian D. Hall