During her extended hiatus from music in the 1980s, Patti Smith and her husband—MC5 guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith—had always planned on returning to public life and performance once their kids were old enough. It was the family business, after all. But what no one had planned on was Fred Smith’s death in 1994. The musician was only in his forties, and was one of several deaths that would impact Patti Smith—and her music—in the 1990s. In the span of just a few years, she lost not only her husband, but also Robert Mapplethorpe, her one-time lover and lifetime friend; her brother, Todd, who’d vowed to get her back on the road after Fred’s death; and Patti Smith Group keyboardist Richard Sohl, whose soulful, expressive work was always a hallmark of the band’s sound. It was an unthinkable series of tragedies. But Patti’s community of friends and musicians rallied around her—prompting her to once again begin moving towards a life as a musician. Smith’s first public performances after her husband’s death took place in 1995; a year later, she released Gone Again, her first album since 1988’s Dream of Life. Along for the ride were some familiar names: Guitarist Lenny Kaye was riding shotgun, while Jay Dee Daugherty was back behind the drums. Tom Verlaine and John Cale also made guest appearances, joining such newcomers as Tony Shanahan (bass, keyboards) and Oliver Ray (guitar). Even during her break from music, Smith had kept working on songs; she’d even taken some basic guitar lessons from her husband. After his death, she found herself picking up the acoustic guitar and playing and writing songs as a buffer against her grief. Despite those humble origins, the tracks on Gone Again have the same essential spirit as her earlier work. She’s a better poet and a better songwriter, and there’s more color and depth in her vocals. And while this record is informed by loss, it is graceful and beautiful in all of its pain, with a handful of songs—including “Beneath the Southern Cross” and “Wing”—that are up there with some of Patti Smith’s greatest hits.