Raw Anger and Jaded Emotion

Originally published: The Record (New Jersey)
RAW ANGER AND JADED EMOTION
May 7, 1996 Section: STUDENT LIFE Edition: All Editions Page: e02 The RecordBy DARA AVENIUS, Paramus High School Column: CRITICS' CHOICE
Yoko Ono: "Rising"

There is much to like and much to dislike about this, the first solo album in a decade for Ono, whose "studio band" its first time in a studio was her son Sean's band IMA. I definitely liked the first song, "Warzone." The song has minimal but telling lyrics backed by an appropriately punk sound led by driving drums. This all serves to accentuate the raw anger and jaded emotions that Ono alternately projects, sometimes switching between the two at the drop of a hat. Her voice is an excellent instrument. If she were not a singer, I could see Ono as a spoken-word artist, and a rather good one at that.

But then we get to the second song, "Wouldnit," and I started to feel let down. The lyrics are interesting, spinning from the premise "Wouldn't it be nice to be a heroine (hero, star)?" The lyrics take us from fantasy back down and hard into reality. But the music sounds too much like an easy listening version of the Eighties loop and drum machine sound.

The band redeems itself in "Turned the Corner" with acoustic guitar and various other instruments that produce a haunting sound. I just wish they would lose that loop sound for good.

It's so sad that this talented lady has been overlooked for so long. I would love to see Ono do a stripped-down, atmospheric, dark poet's cafe feel for her next album, or a live recording of songs. And, since she is very capable of writing great lyrics, I would like to see her rely less on constantly repeating lines, which detracts more than it adds on the whole.

I think "Rising" is a good album and I recommend it for the dramatic performances and for the songs that shine. Still, I hope that I can recommend the next album as an amazing work you can't live without.

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