Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Woman: The Incredible Life of Yoko Ono
"This riveting exposé of Yoko Ono covers her early life growing up as the eldest daughter of a wealthy Japanese family and her personal experience as a result of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of the World War II. Detailed are her move to New York for schooling during the 1950s, her first marriage to a composer, and her early days as an experimental artist in London during the early 1960s. New light is shed on her initial meeting with John Lennon and their 13-year relationship, and the rebuilding of her life after his tragic murder. Her life as artist, musician, businesswoman, and mother are explored from her youth to the present."
Anoushka Shankar • Rise
Review from AllMusic (by Chris Nickson):
But when it's over, it's hard to remember, as ephemeral as a pleasant summer breeze. "Voice of the Moon" fares somewhat better, more grounded in its Indian-ness, with an arching melody. But even that's countered by the album's opener, "Prayer in Passing," which seems too much like an alaap without a theme, a prelude that leads to nothing, form without substance. Shankar uses plenty of programming on this, adding voices (including her own), palmas, piano, guitar, and other unusual textures, which certainly bring variety to what she does. And with "Ancient Love," the epic (11-minute) closer, she actually pulls it all together (thankfully without the didgeridoo that's there on one earlier cut), the judicious use of reverb giving a certain ambience, and a reminder that she's a sitar player whose roots lie on both East and West and she improvises. Rise isn't perfect, by any means, but it's the first step on a new path.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/rise-mw0000312790
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Reseña de AllMusic (por Chris Nickson):
Pero cuando termina, es difícil recordarlo, tan efímero como una agradable brisa de verano. "Voice of the Moon" resulta algo mejor, más arraigado en su esencia india, con una melodía que se eleva. Pero incluso eso queda contrarrestado por el tema de apertura del álbum, "Prayer in Passing", que parece demasiado un alaap sin tema, un preludio que no lleva a nada, forma sin sustancia. Shankar usa mucha programación en esto, añadiendo voces (incluida la suya), palmas, piano, guitarra y otras texturas inusuales, que ciertamente aportan variedad a lo que hace. Y con "Ancient Love", el cierre épico de 11 minutos, finalmente lo une todo (afortunadamente sin el didgeridoo que aparece en un corte anterior), el uso juicioso de la reverberación otorgando un cierto ambiente, y un recordatorio de que es una sitarista cuyas raíces están tanto en Oriente como en Occidente, y que improvisa. Rise no es perfecto, ni mucho menos, pero es el primer paso en un nuevo camino.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/rise-mw0000312790
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