The big difference between
Patti Smith's four 1970s albums and this return to action after nine years lies in the choice of collaborator. Where
Smith's main associate earlier had been
Lenny Kaye, a deliberately simple guitarist, here her co-writer and co-producer (with
Jimmy Iovine) was her husband,
Fred "Sonic" Smith, formerly of
the MC5, who played guitar with a conventional rock competence and who lent his talents to each of the tracks, giving them a mainstream flavor. In a sense, however, these polished love songs, lullabies, and political statements are not to be compared to the poetic ramblings of
Smith's first decade of music-making -- she's so much...calmer this time out. But you can't help it. Where the
Patti Smith of
Horses inspired a generation of female rockers, the
Patti Smith of
Dream of Life sounds like she's been listening to later
Pretenders albums and taking tips from
Chrissie Hynde, one of her spiritual daughters.
Dream of Life is the record of someone who is simply showing the flag, trying to keep her hand in, rather than announcing her comeback. Not surprisingly, having made it,
Smith retreated from the public eye again until the '90s. ~ William Ruhlmann