A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Joanna Newsom and Ys Street Band play her album Ys with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I sat breathless through most of the performance. I've always found Newsom's voice great the same way that Dylan has a great voice, but as she's gained experience and proficiency she's moved closer to being a great singer rather than a great singer of her pieces. This makes performances of her old material revelatory. She now appears to make the squeeks and cracks come at will. The increase in her range makes the previously at times too sudden changes in register and mood come smoothly, increasing the emotional range of the pieces. Sawdust & Diamonds found Newsom alone with her harp. Her voice never wavered. Her tone was almost perfect (much better than on the record, which was a great improvement over her first record). You no longer get the sense that she's clenching her jaw Eddie Vedder style. She's singing with her whole body. I get emotional when listening to Ys. She absolutely slayed a very difficult part of Sawdust:

In the trough of the waves,
Which are pawing like dogs,
Pitch we, pale-faced and grave,
As I write in my log.

Then I hear a noise from the hull,
Seven days out to sea.
It is that damnable bell!
And it tolls—well, I believe that it tolls—for me.
It tolls for me.

It requires lots of shifts in register and volume. It was a one of many highlights.

Unfortunately her voice might be getting too good. Her new material suggests that she knows that she's becoming a singer and singers like R&B and country. I like those things too, and I'm excited to hear what kind of country songs Newsom can write, but while her voice is getting better, she's no Emmylou Harris. I worry that she's going to start writing songs that other folks should be singing.

I'll also note how good her band is. There's only four of them, but they make a good bit of racket and the new arrangements of the Mike-Eyed Mender songs are markedly better than the originals.

PS How good is this bit of writing:
Last week, our picture window
Produced a half-word,
Heavy and hollow,
Hit by a brown bird.