song of the day: march 21/2011

Joanna Newsom - Jackrabbits

Album: Have One On Me [2010]

joanna newsom started on piano lessons at a very early age and played for several years before switching to the harp at seven. by the time she reached high school age, newsom decided she wanted to become a composer, and while that became the focus of her studies, in her free time she began writing and recording instrumental songs. eventually, newsom's passion for songwriting won out, and she began studying creative writing to work with words in the same way she was accustomed to working with music. despite her extensive musical background, she hadn't sung until she began concentrating on her songs, but her voice - which had a pure, untrained sound somewhere between a child and a crone - was the perfect complement to her music. her magnificent full-length debut, "the milk-eyed mender", was released in spring 2004. fast forward to 2010, and in case there was any doubt that she was busy making music in the four years between her brilliant second album "ys" and its follow-up, "have one on me"’s three-disc, two-hour expanse is proof positive. the album’s massive size suggests that newsom is bent on outdoing herself with each release, but the music is simpler than ys’ 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. it’s a dense journey, not just as a whole, but from song to song. many of the songs on the album are easily comparable to newsom's best work, and her voice is much more polished and inviting. "have one on me" is quite a technical achievement, and newsom has proven she can do just about anything. ironically, the more straight forward songs like "81" and "jackrabbits" are just as rewarding as the epics, and prove that she can succeed without trying to do everything.

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