Love love love it! Some of the most profound songwriting I've heard in ages.

I know making a comparison of any band to the Beatles a a no-no, but to me this is her white album. Not as concise, perhaps not as perfectly constructed as her previous album, but in it's way it is almost more impressive. In the two hours there isn't a moment that could be changed, every song, despite their numbers and lengths is great. If one was not familiar with Joanna Newsom's career, they might thing it was a best of collection.… Expand

Much more versatile than Ys and an easier listen! Some tracks feel almost spiritual! Well, not in a she is "god" sorta sense, but like your head is floating. Ok

Have One On Me is dense and sprawling but wondrous and surprising, though not as surprising as an unsurprising album would have been. It also sounds like a natural stepping-stone in Newsom's fearless, carefully sculpted body of work.

Fantastic. Joanna Newson is one of the greatest voices I have ever heard. Truly amazing. After "Ys" it was difficult to do better but she managed it.

Its only fault is that there's too much of it for one listen. Even writing this I feel like I'm nit-picking. Maybe I'll change my vote next year when I've digested it completely.

I thought it would be impossible for me to like this album, considering that Newsom's previous efforts are two of my favourite albums of the last decade... A three-disc venture just seemed too much to stomach. But Joanna Newsom proved my early concerns wrong. During this 2-hour + listen she explores the benefits and costs of a relationship in all its veriety... she hooks us, and leaves us in awe of her song-writing greatness.… Expand

Maybe the only ''classic'' album released in 2010, each Joanna's album is better than the previous one. Probably she's the best contemporary songwriter.

This is the best release from Joanna Newsom yet. Have One On Me exists in between her debut's simpler folk melodies and Ys's long, more complicated songs, and it's a testament to her talent that this two hour, three disc album has not a single track that could be called filler. It definitely has its weaker moments but there's not one song here that should've been left on the cutting room floor. Joanna's voice has improved considerably since her singing on Ys, which was already an improvement over her debut. Whereas before her voice was the main turnoff for many detractors, her voice is now well trained enough to be a non-issue. The arrangements are restrained, which allows Joanna's harp playing to be at the forefront and not be drowned out in the arrangement as it sometimes was in Van Dyk's arrangements for Ys. Overall despite it only being February I can see this being on many publications' and bloggers' top albums at the end of 2010.… Expand

Cathartic, Great, etc. SURE. But also offputtingly pretentious, bloated, and simply not as lovely as the proverbial cupcake.

'Have One On Me' perfectly exemplifies the fruition of someone who may very well go down as one of the best songwriters of her generation. Ambitious yet not pretentious, Newsom recalls the likes of Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush on her magnum opus.

Though completely different to her first two albums once again she has taken a step forwards, developed and come up with something wholly beautiful, even though the amount of music is somewhat daunting. Thank God for Joanna!

A great album that could essentially be a lot shorter. I think in the end over saturation takes over. Nonetheless there some beautiful songs like '81, among others.

Amazing album, her voice keeps getting better.

Sprawling and unfocused, the songs are a blur of delicate sounds that don't appear to mean a damn thing.

An unbelievably perfect album, one for the ages, beyond Automatic For The People, Astral Weeks, Daydream Nation..... There's not one weak/boring/unnecessary moment on it. I'll never listen to Ys again. This is light years beyond that, lyrically, musically, vocally.....there's a supreme confidence here. The songwriting is beyond brilliant. We'll be gushing over this album in 50 years from now.… Expand

This album is stunning beyond words. In the same way that Y's was one of the most profound and dazzling albums of the last three decades, her lattest offering shows her creative genius in full bloom. with a newfound lyrical directness that makes these songs all the more impactfull while retaining their ellusive allure.

The term genius is not often called for in pop music, but in this case it's justified. She's a totally original and unique artist, and one of the best storytellers around. The sheer amount of material on this album is enough to scare a lot of people off, but I think it's only a great thing. The listener can't concentrate on all of it at once, but is forced to pick a few favorites that rotates after a while, and ensures the album a long life. Just fantastic. Album of the year, by a mile!… Expand

If one were to superficially look at Joanna Newsom's 3 LP album, he or she would probably assume that she sacrificed quality over quantity. But instead, every song of this album is gem in its own way. Newsom takes a different approach with this album, as she steps towards a more mainstream style of sound focusing more on the piano rather than the harp. Ys focused on being like a fairytale experience, while Milk Eyed Blender was more childlike. Newsom settles down in this album sitting on the piano, but still brings her beautiful lyrics to the table. Each album is separated into 3 LP records with about 5-6 songs on each of them. Each LP has a separate theme that the audience will found out for themselves. This is an open experience, and the separation of the songs enables this variety. The album starts with Easy, an elaborate song that utilizes percussion and piano beautifully. This sets the pace for the rest of the album as they are equally good or better. But the highlight of the first album is "Good Intentions Paving Company." This is as close Newsom will come close to a rock/pop song as it is unusually fast-paced using brass instruments, piano, and percussion. The second album contains "In California," as song that is much similar to "Does Not Suffice," which is seen in the final album. Both of these songs are connected in a way, which show the much thought Newsom put in the album. But perhaps the best song on Have One On Me is "Soft As Chalk." There are multiple tempo changes, beautiful solos, and abstract lyrics. It is the highlight of the whole album. Joanna Newsom's album is flawless. It is not only an album, but an experience. If you can get over her eccentric vocal style, you will find 2 hours of beauty, thought, and heart.… Expand

So far, the best album of 2010! I've been following its mistery since she introduced us with the new tracks. I must say that, if you were expecting Ryan Francescony to equal Van Dyke Park

In a way, I feel the same way about this album that I do about Speakerboxx/The Love Below. There are a lot of songs, a lot of them are pretty good, but why not weed out a few of the weaker ones and just fit it all on one 'disc'? On the one hand this album appears to offer incredible depth (just like Ys), so that the songs that are enjoyable should have a long shelf-life. On the other hand, the weaker songs are often meandering, with un-anchored melodies and chord progressions that sound like they were chosen based on unpredictability rather than quality. Still, I gave it an 8 because there's at least an hour of good music here. There are some very rewarding tracks here ("Good Intentions Paving Company," "Kingfisher," "Jackrabbits," "Easy," to give some examples), and for the rest just don't be too afraid to press skip.… Expand

It pains me to say it, but this album is not her best... actually, it's not even her second best. There's too many "little darlin's" and "a-rounds" and "a-ways", too much forced warbling when holding the note would suffice (and sound so much better), and, frankly, too many redundant lyrics. The album also suffers from a melodic sameness that persists even with repeated listens... I find myself singing lyrics from "In California" (the best song on the album) to the music of "Does Not Suffice". All that said, there's still some fine stuff here - the highlights along with "In California" for me are "Go Long" and "Esme".… Expand

There are the makings of a fabulous album in here. If the track list was cut to 7 or 8 songs and chosen carefully, I would undoubtedly be considering a mark of 9 or 10, however, more than half of the 18 songs included are nothing better than mediocre and listening to 2 hours plus of mediocrity, with the occasional highlight is a bit of a grind. This was the first Newsom album I bought but I think this should probably remain one for the established fans.… Expand

beautiful. I have little that I can think to say other than listen to this.
It may take a little while to get into as all the songs are about 6 minutes long at the least

As a rule, I hate dance music just slightly less than actually dancing, but this is pretty damn good. Far, far less monotonous than most of its ilk. For folks like me, a good listen, and great to clean house to!

A great album is somewhere in here, although Newsom needs to do some editing to find it. While some songs deserve their drawn out running time--the heartfelt cowboy ballad Baby Birch and the truly interesting medieval-style madrigal Kingfisher--others feel bloated and stretched out for no reason whatsoever. Further frustrating this drawn-out quality is Newsom's new singing style, which involves stretching out every vowel to last a full two seconds, in a sometimes comedic imitation of mid-70's Joni Mitchell. 'In youuuuuuuuuuur arms....yoouuuuuuuuuur arms" she sings in No Provenance, by the end of which I'm wanting to run as far from those arms as I can manage. And considering that she'll be singing that song for another eight minutes, i'll probably get a good headstart. However the album (or albums) do see Newsom trying on some new musical duds, some of which work surprisingly well. The Peanuts-style jazz of Good Intentions Paving Company (is that the shortest name you could find? Can't you edit anything?) isn't half bad, and neither is the barroom drawl of "Soft as Chalk". But it's in these more accessibe, pop-oriented tracks that the length really becomes a problem. I'm very glad to let Newsom take me on a strange and delightful 11-minute journey in the title track, visiting Lola Montez and 19th century Spain and daddy long legs; this is territory that only Newsom could think up. But I'm not as keen on hearing seven solid minutes of Newsom's (a-hem) 'interesting' vibrato on Good Intentions, or the list of absolutely everything she has left in a lover's bedroom on the final track, Does Not Suffice. (Which is a reprise of In California, man, does Newsom love to just circle round and round.) This is a great collection of demos. Now edit out all the filler and I would be glad to have one on you. Just not three.… Expand

'Have One On Me' is difficult to take in, it's two-hour running time being the prime cause of this, but if you dip in and out of it, it is haunting and enjoyable. Newsom's voice just keeps maturing and here it is at it's best, the songs are not as groundbreaking as they were on 'Ys', but they sound more comfortable. A full, epic album with lots to it, but once you digest it, it is really beautiful. Songs like '81', 'Easy' and 'Good Intentions Paving Company' will all sound good on the radio, compared to songs 'Ys' which were the opposite of radio-friendly. She is constantly doing things that are completely daring, original and unexpected and on-paper 'Have On One Me' easily could have been a throwaway, but even after this triple album, her scorecard is perfect.… Expand

There is no better description for this album than "beautiful". At times this beauty is inspiring, at other times heartbreaking. Every song invites the listener on a journey -- sometimes short and sweet ("On a Good Day"), but more often long, mysterious, and tangential (everything else). Delicate, thoughtful arrangements weave seamlessly into the magical environment created by Newsom's intriguing vocal style. While the first few outings may leave the listener overwhelmed or confused, infecting melodies and lovable nuances seem to sprout from the album on each repeated listen. Newsom is one of modern music's most ambitious, creative songwriters. So many of the songs on the album, like "Have One On Me" or "In California" to name a few, leave me wondering if I need to listen to anything else ever again. This album is a masterpiece. The only thing standing in the way of its perfection is its quantity. It is possible to have "too much of a good thing", and I believe this album does. Even so, this will be one of the albums I get lost in for the rest of my life.… Expand