Ono is both a villain and singer

By Tanner Boyd

Published Feb. 9, 2007

Before you listen to a Yoko Ono album, you must first disperse of any original feelings you have toward the artist. Although you might hate her and blame her for breaking up one of rock's legendary bands, it wouldn't be fair to write her off completely. After that, you must realize that technically this album called Yes, I'm a Witch, isn't Ono's.

Instead it is a creative collaboration of bands utilizing the hauntingly robotic voice of Ono and creating a unique pop album fused with techno, hip-hop, rock and indie sounds. What lingers in the album, though, is the heart and soul of a mysterious artist that few acknowledge.

Ono has gathered some of the industry's most interesting bands and given them a catalog of her songs. The artists were allowed to take one track and any of the specific aspects of it (instruments, vocals, etc.) and create their own from it. Among the featured artists are The Flaming Lips, Peaches, Cat Power, Apples in Stereo and Le Tigre. While some do duets or backing vocals, others let the gentle yet fervent voice of Ono control the song's message.

After a forgettable intro, the album starts with "Kiss, Kiss, Kiss," a song in which Peaches blends hip-hop beats with techno riffs. Ono's vocals provide the song with surprising sexuality. Another hip-hop techno track is DJ Spooky's "Rising," which is accented with more of Ono's chanting mantras and ad-libbing.

Palumbo Of The Brothers Brothers uses charged guitar riffs to deliver Ono's rebellious lyrics: "I don't care what you say/ My voice is real/ My voice speaks truth/ I don't fit in your ways." In the same way, The Flaming Lips try to use those rock styles to create a new song from Ono's "Cambridge 1969/2007," but the result is noisy and over the top.

The best songs on the album are the ones that let Ono's lyrics take center stage instead of reducing her to the hook of a track. "Death of Samantha" makes Ono seem like a feminine Johnny Cash as she painfully sings "Something inside me died that day" and "I'm cool, chick baby."

Cat Power and Ono turn in a prayerful hymn on "Revelations," which shows Ono as an artist few listeners would ever imagine. You get an understanding of why many of her fans herald her as an inspiration when she chants, "You are a sea of goodness/ You are a sea of love/ Bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you for who you are."

Having never delved into the world of Yoko Ono, I am surprised to say that I was extremely impressed with the lyrics and talent of the person I once saw as an emotionless villain. Credit should also be given to the bands that have transformed her lyrics into something that coveys meaning while still being enjoyable to listen to. The artists take the genres that are most comfortable to them and help portray the single solitary idea of hope that Ono has for the world.

So you might still blame her for breaking up The Beatles and single-handedly ending originality in the music industry as we know it, but give the girl a chance with her music. After all, Lennon must have seen something in her, didn't he?