Yoko Ono
Yes, I'm a Witch Too
Release Date: Feb 19, 2016
Genre(s): Pop/Rock
Record label: Manimal Vinyl
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Album Review: Yes, I'm a Witch Too by Yoko Ono
Very Good, Based on 8 Critics
Based on rating 8.0/10
If those who laugh last laugh best, then Yoko Ono must be having a right chuckle these days. In the 1970s, her proto-punk music was widely reviled (she once told the author that people would mail her pictures of her albums in a garbage can). But in the new century, these same tracks have provided inspiration to a veritable who’s who of DJs, musicians and producers, who have eagerly remixed them into dance club treats, taking Ono to the top of Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart over 10 times to date.
Based on rating 4/5
Those familiar with Ono’s 2007 collaborative album Yes, I’m a Witch will know roughly what to expect for its follow-up: a rag-tag collection of leftfield noise-makers (Tune-Yards, Cibo Matto), indie-pop vanguardists (Miike Snow, Peter Bjorn & John), art-rock legends (Sparks) and curveball choices who take her original vocal recordings and run riot with them. She still has a laissez-faire attitude to genre: there’s poolside disco-house (Penguin Prison’s She Gets Down on Her Knees), meat’n’potatoes electro (Dave Audé’s Wouldnit), in which the straightforward beats are contrasted with lyrics that allude to domestic abuse), wiggy psych (Dogtown, with son Sean Lennon) and Death Cab for Cutie (there’s that curveball) trying out trip-hop on Forgive Me My Love. Approximately Inifinite Universe revives electro-rockabilly, while Tune-Yards’ Warrior Woman is a joyful clash of jazz-skronk and performance poetry.
Based on rating 7/10
Yes, I'm a Witch Too arrives nine years after the original Yes, I'm a Witch, which found Yoko Ono collaborating with a bewitching and sometimes bewildering array of artists from the worlds of indie and dance music. This time, Ono's collaborators range from her son Sean Lennon to Moby to Peter Bjorn and John. As on Yes, I'm a Witch, the best moments are often the wildest and hardest to classify: along with tUnE-yArDs' brash take on "Warrior Woman" -- which appeared previously on Onobox -- the highlights include Sparks' torchy, theatrical "Give Me Something" and Ebony Bones' unsettling, footwork-inspired remix of "No Bed for Beatle John.
Based on rating 7/10
At 83, Yoko Ono is still cooler (and probably more subversive) than you — not to mention most indie artists a quarter her age. And whether you care about her legacy or not, she’s been a prominent pop figure for nearly half a century (!), largely because Ono has always surrounded herself with top talents and varying eccentrics. When your art is raw, freaky, and unapologetic, it often needs discerning eyes and gifted ears to translate it into something we can collectively embrace.
Based on rating 7/10
Oh, Yoko.The 82-year-old artist/Lennon widow/self-proclaimed witch has once again opened up her collection of tunes to indie artist collaborations on Yes, I'm A Witch Too, the followup to 2007's Yes, I'm A Witch. Collaborators include indie darlings Death Cab for Cutie, tUnE-yArDs, Peter, Bjorn and John, and Portugal. the Man, as well as glam rock mainstays Sparks and her son, Sean Ono Lennon, among a host of electronic producers.As on Yes, I'm A Witch, each artist has completely reinvented their respective tune, transforming and stripping it back so that the true strength of Ono's songwriting is revealed.
Based on rating B-
Everyone has a gut reaction to Yoko Ono. Whether you love her or hate her, are amused by her or amazed by her, I’d wager you have a deep-seeded opinion about Yoko Ono, one that you might not even be able to track to an origin or reason. It’s no wonder, then, that Ono continues to alter, amend, and shift the work in her discography, re-releasing songs in new forms throughout her career.
Based on rating 6/10
A sequel to 2007's wryly-titled Yes, I'm a Witch, this latest batch of remixes and collaborations sees various trendy youngsters modify Yoko Ono's compositions with refreshing, if not entirely radical, results..
Opinion: Fairly Good
Yes, I’m A Witch Too is the sequel to Yes, I’m A Witch, a 2007 compilation of Yoko Ono remixes and collaborations. Once again, she’s given the vocal tracks from her back catalogue to a wide variety of DJs, producers and musicians to rework into new versions. It feels like the track list was randomly assembled by throwing darts at names on the wall, and the radically different approaches often make for a jarring listen.
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