It’s hard not to compare Blue to E-Bow The Letter; the only other REM song featuring Patti Smith; but if the comparison has to do with overall song quality, I choose Blue. E-Bow has more melodic verses. Michael Stipe, a definite poet, goes spoken-word here, but that doesn’t make them better. There’s something artistically rejuvenating about the ranty proclamations he presents. “I will not fold,” he says in a forceful whisper, “I don’t have much, but what I have is gold.”

He’d be rapping if more of the words rhymed and the lyrics went with the beat, but there are no real drums, just an array of background guitars, which create a dreamworld of airy ambience. A piano comes in at about the three-minute mark, which leads to the best part; Patti Smith singing a Cinderella ballad over the sound of a man’s voice saying “blue” over and over again. That’s “naked and blue”, not Electron Blue, and it stands out as one of the better REM songs.

my rating : 4 of 5

2011