BillyJay

It is ironic that I first encountered this site via a link from Joanna Newsom's entry in Wikipedia. I was very impressed with the review, as I felt it captured my feelings perfectly. It is ironic because the GP spends most of his his review criticising the "The Pirate’s Gospel" for not being a Joanna Newsom album or at least making unfavourable comparisons.
This is very unfair on the artist, since, apart from sharing the same home town, and being held in some regard by JN they share little else in common.
Musically, better comparisons could have been made to Jolie Holand and Josephine Foster's "Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You" even Gilian Welch or Be Good Tanyas would be more apt.
So far as I'm concerned JN may well be responsible for the best album in the last decade. But this album is not in competition with "ys" it is a rather more 'rootsy' affair. Ultimately it is the songs that are the real strength of this album and there isn't a weak one hear.