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Have One on Meby Joanna Newsom, Drag City *****

At a time when listening to an entire album in one sitting seems archaic, an artist offering a two-hour opus might seem at a disadvantage. But auteur harper Joanna Newsom has never done anything by rote. The Milk Eyed Meander(still one of Drag City’s biggest selling albums), conventional only in its 12-track length, was carried by a voice that mixed innocence and petulance. Many loved its high arcs; others balked at the shrill notes, but no one doubted Newsom’s originality – and indie harpers are rare enough.