Description
In case there was any doubt thatJoanna Newsomwas busy making music — along with modeling and starring inMGMTvideos — in the four years between her brilliant second albumYsand its follow-up,Have One on Mesthree-disc, two-hour expanse is proof positive. The albums massive size suggests thatNewsomis bent on outdoing herself with each release, but the music is simpler thanYs symphonic majesty. Instead, she uses this oversize canvas to travel from Appalachian folk to big city pop, with stops at country, soul, and gospel along the way. Its a dense journey, not just as a whole, but from song to song. Most of the albums range is in the title track: Over 11 minutes, Have One on Me begins with jazzy harp stylings and some ofNewsomsmost polished vocals, returns toMilk-Eyed Menders rural whimsy, passes through a marching band and lands in a British folk reverie. Similarly striking moments appear at the beginning and end of this triptych, but the first disc presentsNewsomsbiggest departures.Have One on Mesfirst third incorporates rock and pop, giving it a Laurel Canyon flair that underscores the 70s vibe of the whole endeavor. The lovely Easy plays like aYstrack rewritten for a rock opera; Good Intentions Paving Company flirts with winsome country-rock; 81 is the closest the album comes to having a pop single; and the limpid, almost painfully quiet Baby Birch reaffirms thatNewsomdoesnt have to be complex to be moving. The albums third disc dives into her dramatic side, especially on Kingfisher, a chamber pop fantasia that plays like a condensed version ofYs.Have One on Mesmiddle stretch unfurls songs that expand onMilk Eyed Mendersserenity, including the dazzlingly beautiful Go Long, which ranks amongNewsoms finest songs, and the pretty but meandering You and Me, Bess. Therein lies the problem withHave One on Me:Newsomgives her listeners so much music that not all of it is equally memorable. The albums cross betweenMilk-Eyed MenderandYsisnt always greater than the sum of its parts — songs that sound like they come from a less-complexYsor a less-innocentMilk-Eyed Menderare sometimes simply less. WhileHave One on Memight be more listenable if it was one or even two discs, its hard to say that it would be better. Its flow from disc to disc disproves thoughts thatNewsomrecorded three albums worth of material, couldnt decide what to keep, and just released them all. At its best, these songs have the feel of an intimate live performance; at their worst, theyre lovely, but exhausting.Have One on Meis quite a technical achievement, but sinceNewsomhas proven she can do just about anything, next time she shouldnt try to do everything. -All Music Guide
Have One On Me by Joanna Newsom
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