BEST OF 2010 (songs) #25 Joanna Newsom - Good Intentions Paving Company

In the midst of Joanna Newsom's unwieldy and overly-somber three record release "Have One On Me," is this gem. Newsom draws upon early American composition to craft a rousing ragtime motif for the song's backbone, making for a peppy composition that works partly because in between all the smiles and sunshine is a complex Newsom arrangement with an extended meditative middle section that elevates the track beyond a simple pop affair. It's one of Newsom's best pieces to date, and signals a new direction in sound for her. One that unfortunately she didn't take the time to explore on the rest of the record.