Thumbing her nose at the notion that listeners’ deteriorated attention spans can only handle singles, Joanna Newsom has released a 3-LP studio album, “Have One On Me,” 18 lush tracks that combine chamber orchestra instrumentation with a singer/songwriter’s sense of soul and melody.
Despite the ornate packaging, 3-record format and songs that, for the most part, last more than six minutes, Newsom avoids overindulgence, managing to pull together various influences and sounds without straying too far afield. Her unique voice fluctuates from a Tori Amos flow to Judy Collins’ operatic heights to a down-and-dirty Victoria Williams twang.
The sprawling yet cohesive nature of “Have One On Me” is summed up in the title track, which finds Newsom plucking a harp and shifting moods and tempos over 11 minutes, backed by drum kit, horns, flute, oboe and string instruments, including a Bulgarian tambura. She sings of obscure subjects like a daddy longlegs and the Countess of Lansfeld, expertly moving the tune from delicate folk patterns to a medieval peasant dance and back.
On songs like “You And Me, Bess” and “Soft As Chalk,” Newsom explores jazz tonalities, and her ability to stretch vocal lines and change cadences stands out on “Good Intentions Paving Company.” She’s a nuanced singer, one who knows the value of holding back, pushing forward or blending her voice over multiple takes.
Near the end of the second LP, “Go Long” reduces the intensity level to a simmer, juxtaposing Newsom’s dream of a lover with exotic elements like India and an elephant. “We danced in the lodge like two panting monkeys,” she sings over simple harp. “Wolf-spider, crouch in your funnel nest,” she advises abstractly, but she also consoles, “You have done harm/ Others have done worse.” Her lyrics, the way she delivers them and the exquisite instrumentation combine for a transcendent musical moment.
Newsom closes the album with “Does Not Suffice,” letting the gospel-flavored song shine in its simplicity backed by little more than her own piano. She sings of packing up her belongings — “a sparkling ring for every finger,” “coats of boucle, jacquard and cashmere. …. and everything that could remind you of how easy I was not.”
Rating: W W W W
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