Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band, 'Between My Head and the Sky' (Chimera)
Levity and love from cross-generational icon.
By Barry Walters 09.23.09 5:22 AM
Lightest Ono album ever? Probably. Heaviest avant-pop from a 76-year-old mainstream pariah/underground innovator? Hell, yeah! Son Sean Lennon, Tokyo art-rocker Cornelius, ex–Cibo Matto keyboardist Yuka Honda, and some New York City jazz vets pick up where hubby John left off with 1980's "Walking on Thin Ice." The simpatico accompaniment means she's free here, even from indulgence: Fractured funk, serene balladry, and those infamous birdcalls flatter and balance each other, as if by nature. "Time for action," she exclaims with a sweetness that'll coax your heart wide open.












This seriously sucks. Words do not even describe my unmuted disgust in her entire existance.
Clearly Yoko turned down the anon above's marriage proposal. She rocks, and the album is great. Nobody else of her age is making records this interesting, and it's got fifty times the energy of the tired old pseudo-Brit-pop and lame r'n'b everyone else is putting out.
ouchh...... pretty hard to take-
WARNING- this is a stomach turner
might bring the YOKO haters out in force
Well don't watch it then, that's a simple answer isn't it, creep.
It's nothing to do with the mind, body, heart or soul of this artist. In certain spheres of the arts she is truly credible (and talented) and well seasoned and passionate etc but, unfortunately, when she comes to the territory of being a 'lead vocalist' it all (always) becomes a bit 'hair standing on the back of the neck' and cringing, and i can't see that anything has changed here. And if the overall presentation is not interesting for the listener (and for many of us it's not very interesting at all) then all that's apparent to the ears is just a very bad voice splashing over a back canvas of average rock sounds. In a world where John Lennon had never existed I suspect that Yoko wouldn't be selling making/selling many cds. But she would probably still be a talented artist...of sorts.
When ya got money and the biggest connection in the world..
Seriously, I really dig the beats, and the cut-and-paste edits, but Yoko's vocals/cat calls/any noise she can make with her mouth are still not my cup o' joe.. I dig experimental, but for the true modern experimental music, I'm afraid I'll stick with Jon Zorn, Fred Frith or Mike Patton for the real thing. Jam's are a bit too long. Good bass player/Pro Tools wiz. Drummer's great, and getting paid good..
Wonder what Julian thinks..
The bass player is Sean.
For all he haters, give her a second chance and check out the tracks "Healing" and "Unun. To." Maybe you'll discover something new...
Heard her from Fallon's show and the tape above and I have to say - She can't sing and the lyrics are rather inane. The back up band isn't bad but no way should she be singing lead or writing music, the talent just isn't there.
You've got to be kidding with this catcalling! Yoko is a serious no talent who was lucky enough to latch on to a musical genius.
The band is tight though! Other than that ...
WHAT A WASTE!
I've read plenty of the reviews - even by 2 guys here in Australia that I have the greatest respect for and have used as a basis for purchasing music for many years. I've tried to open my mind to all the favourable things being said about this album, listened to it a couple of times to see if something would 'take' but seriously, this is the most tuneless and jarring vocalising I've ever heard on any piece of recorded music (or Live either) in my 55 odd years of listening to anything and everything. Whatever is happening musically behind THAT voice (and some of it sounds pretty OK) is just wasted. She probably should have just handed the vocals over to Sean and stayed in the background as writer/producer - I realise that would never be her scene but at least we would have had something that was still a big piece of her and listenable! As for the professional Reviewers, shame on you!!
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