[2.5/5] Recent Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee/legendary NYC musician Patti Smith included cover songs on revolutionary 1970s albums such as Horses, so she's no stranger to making other people's songs her own. But it's clear from listening to Twelve, an all-covers record featuring twelve remakes of classic songs, that Smith's choice of covers works best when paired with her provocative and passionate originals-and not simply collected on what amounts to a glorified karaoke compilation. A blues-soaked rendition of the Doors' "Soul Kitchen" is by far Twelve's highlight, followed closely by her torchy version of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and a brisk, strummy take on Paul Simon's folksy "The Boy In The Bubble." Other tunes fall horribly flat; no one needs to hear a six-minute reading of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and her Debbie Harry-meets-Bob Dylan warble sounds forced on a Tears For Fears cover. So while Twelve's not a bad record by any stretch of the imagination, it just begs the question: What's the point? (COLUMBIA) Annie Zaleski
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