Patti Smith to release covers album in April

Patti Smith will follow up her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction on March 12th with an album of cover songs. She's titled the project Twelve, and it features 12 songs that are near and dear to her, including "Pastime Paradise" by Stevie Wonder, "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" by Tears For Fears, and "Helpless" by Neil Young. The final tracklisting hasn't been announced yet, but the rest of the album will include songs by Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, the Doors, Nirvana, Jefferson Airplane, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Allman Brothers Band, and Paul Simon. Twelve will be released on April 17th.

Smith told us that all the songs on Twelve are important to her: "Many of the songs I picked for their lyrics, or just because they represent, you know, an aspect of rock-and-roll that's precious to me, and... you know, a pretty diverse set of songs that are, you know, great songs, but also make statements that are very relevant to our times, no matter when they were written -- or by whom."

Smith is no stranger to covering other people's material, having covered "Hey Joe," "Gloria," "Land Of 1,000 Dances," "My Generation," and "You Light Up My Life" over the course of her career.

Guests on the album include Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, and Television guitarist Tom Verlaine, among others.

Smith only has three shows on her schedule -- February 22nd in Providence, Rhode Island; February 23rd in New Haven, Connecticut; and February 24th in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Submit the above story to:

Del.icio.us   Digg   reddit   StumbleUpon   Facebook