Album Review: Yoko Ono’s “Yes, I’m A Witch, Too”

As a Beatles enthusiast, I really wanted to dislike Yoko Ono and anything she does. But today, I can’t help but like (to a small degree) her newest music release, which is in some ways a sequel to her 2007 album, “Yes, I’m A Witch.”

Yoko Ono, for those who live in a hole, is the widow of Beatle John Lennon. Most music historians credit her with the break-up of the Beatles and for holding grudges against Sir Paul McCartney. True or not, I had heard earlier works by Yoko and never thought much of her musical abilities. I was quite surprised to discover that I didn’t totally dislike this album, but I also don’t fully like it either.

“Yes, I’m A Witch, Too” is released by indie label Manimal Vinyl Records. Yoko chose to collaborate with many other artist such as Death Cab for Cutie, Moby, and her own son, Sean Lennon, for all of the tracks on this album. In fact, “Forgive Me My Love” featuring Death Cab for Cutie is a reworking of the original 2015 promotional release she made with them.

In true Yoko Ono fashion, the album is very heavily techno-inspired. There are a few notable exceptions, such as “Walking On Thin Ice,” which plays out like a soft love ballad; “Mrs. Lennon”, which to me has some of the style and feel of the Beatles’s song “A Day In The Life”; and “Move On Fast,” which also has a slight rock twang that, again, reminds me of the earlier rock stylings of The Beatles.

Yoko Ono has also pulled an older song from her and John Lennon’s 1969 experimental album, titled “Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions.” “No Bed for Beatle John” was written by John Lennon, and the original recording was done a capella by Yoko in chant fashion. It described some of the issues she and John had in their personal life as quoted by several news articles. Her reworking featuring Ebony Bones! trims at least one minute off the original recording and adds techno beats that play out more like a dramatic dream sequence.

“Dogtown,” which features her son Sean, has a strange vibe to it. You hear definite blues bass tones — but again, there’s that techno beat that comes in, and the overall blend hints at being a film noir background filler. You almost imagine a smoky bar with trench-coat clad individuals lurking in corners.

“Soul Got Out of the Box” featuring Portugal the Man is probably one of my favorites on this album. This is also an earlier 2001 release from Yoko Ono’s “Blueprint for a Sunrise” album. Her original recording was a very heavy-feeling sound that featured hard piano and flat, emotionless vocals by Yoko. This new release is much easier on the ears. It has a very mellow, relaxed feel to it. She eased up on the piano and added light guitar, and her voice is much softer. I can lay back on my sofa and totally unwind from a long day listening to this song, despite the doomsday-evoking lyrics. (I’m kind of twisted that way.)

“She Gets Down On Her Knees” is an overly resurrected piece that Yoko seems to have a personal relationship with. She originally recorded this in 1974 but didn’t release it until July 1997 on her “A Story” album, then she re-recorded it again in 1981 on her “Seasons Of Glass” album. It was then brought back as a digital download in February 2012 before showing up again on this album featuring Penguin Prison. It’s got a definite dance-club feel to it, and I’m sure there is a DJ out there who may want to put in a dance mix for fun. Maybe this will be its last incarnation?

With a total of 17 tracks, there are too many to really talk about in one brief review. As I said in the beginning, I wanted to hate this album, but sadly, I did enjoy several songs despite the pinched sound of her voice on a majority of the album. However history wants to paint Yoko Ono, I will say that I do admire her persistence!