Patti's present to herself and the rest of us as she marks the occasion of completing her (if you can believe it!) sixtieth year, Twelve is a record of (yes) twelve covers of some of her favorite songs.  Many are expected -- "Are You Experienced," "Helpless," "Gimme Shelter," "White Rabbit," "Soul Kitchen," "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (what? you didn't know she was a big Nirvana fan?) -- some make sense once you stop and think about them -- "Within You and Without You," Dylan's "Changing of the Guard," which receives a heart-tuggingly beautiful rendition here and has to be one of the best Dylan covers in twenty years or more, The Allman Brothers' "Midnight Rider" -- and then there are the total surprises -- Tears For Fears' (?!) "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," Paul Simon's "Boy in the Bubble," and Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise," which closes the record on an uplifting and hopeful note.  The core of the Patti Smith Group  -- Jay Dee Daugherty, Lenny Kaye and Tony Shanahan --  show their love of this music by forging one well-crafted tune after another.  A bevy of guest appearances including Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Smith's children, Jackson and Jesse, and, especially, Tom Verlaine -- on "Gimme Shelter" and "White Rabbit" -- serve to spice up the mix.  The stand out track has to be "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which is much more than a cover version.  What we have here is Patti's own take on the meaning of the song, the significance of Nirvana and, finally, her sense of the continuity that exists in American vernacular music.  You'll never hear the song the same way again.  This disc is the treasure at the end of the rainbow.