Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band

Yoko Ono's various artistic careers have still, even many years after the fact, been overshadowed by the fact that she was blamed for the break-up of the Beatles. This is rather unfortunate for many reasons, not least of all because of her large contributions to avant-rock. While her recent musical offering is far from dazzlingly new-sounding it is also far from mediocre, serving almost as a summation of her previous achievements, from harmolodic rock to wayward disco, from forlorn piano ballads to flirtations with various Eastern sounds. And while the music here is based on prior Ono triumphs it is nonetheless strikingly relevant, reminding us how forward-looking her early '70s output was, despite not quite being canonized among other avant-rock innovators like Beefheart, the Velvet Underground, Can and Eno. And at age 76, Ono's energy level shows no sign of waning. While many others at her age are content to throw in the towel or idly retread familiar rock terrain, at least when Ono is revisiting her earlier ideas they still sound exciting. With any luck, this new recording will entice newcomers into exploring her back catalogue more thoroughly and prompt a re-evaluation of her work.