Yoko Ono’s latest LP Yes, I’m A Witch, takes electronic pop delightfully evil levels.
Ono, best known as John Lennon’s widow, had the magnificent idea of collaborating with some of today’s hottest pop and avant-garde artists to create an album full of rich, creative beats and sounds.
The concept is simple: Take Ono’s past sound bytes and integrate them into music of the future. The result is deliciously fresh.
Each artist collaborates with Ono in a way that accents her voice. The background melody catapults her sound into a sweet wave of powerful lyrics. An English progressive rock band, Porcupine Tree, produced a stupendous track while creating a mix of Ono’s “”Death of Samantha.”” “”My voice sounds smooth and clear/Without a trace of tears,”” Ono sings, in an eerie yet beautiful voice.
Electro-pop band Le Tigre collaborates on “”Sisters O Sisters,”” incorporating a fast city-techno beat to the song, also complimenting Ono’s powerful sound.
John Palumbo of The Brother Brothers gives power to Ono’s lyrics in the title track, as she sings in a hearty breath of vocal prowess, “”Yes, I’m a witch/I’m a bitch/I don’t care what you say/My voice is real/My voice speaks truth/I don’t fit in your ways.””
“”I’m Moving On,”” featuring The Sleepy Jackson, has an interesting introduction. Ono’s fragmented voice can be heard in the background, but it still sounds great and gives the song a creative effect.
Ono even sings in her native tongue of Japanese in “”Shiranakatta (I Didn’t Know),”” which is remixed by modern Scottish composer Craig Armstrong. The track needs no translation, because the emotion in Ono’s every word is felt if not understood.
All in all, the album gives Ono a one-up in today’s world of one-hit wonders and artists who want to sound like everyone else. Ono’s idea of collaborating with many unique musicians makes for a witch of an album.