[5] It is a triple album produced by Newsom and mixed by longtime collaborators Jim O'Rourke and Noah Georgeson, with arrangements by Ryan Francesconi.

Have One on Me continues Newsom's use of cryptic, pastoral lyrics, with a further progression of elements of her sound such as the orchestral accompaniment and the arrangements – with the inclusion of diverse instruments like the tambura, the harpsichord and the kaval.

Because of health problems, Newsom's voice was damaged during the sessions, consequently affecting the overall recording process and forcing her to change her singing style.

[12] Have One on Me was largely acclaimed by music critics upon its release, earning Joanna Newsom several accolades and favorable comparisons to previous singer-songwriters such as Judee Sill, Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, Rickie Lee Jones and Kate Bush.

[18] On March 28, 2009, Newsom performed over two hours of new material at a "secret" concert at the Fernwood Resort in Big Sur, California with fellow Nevada City singer-songwriter Mariee Sioux, under the pseudonym The Beatles's.

was posted on the Drag City website where it contained a link leading to a short comic strip titled "Joanna Newsom 'Have One on Me'" with a date of February 23, 2010.

[23][24] A week later, Clash reported that Newsom's upcoming album would contain the four following tracks: "Jack Rabbits", "Ribbon Bows", "Autumn" and "In California".

Also according to the article although "details and samples of the new album have been kept closely under wraps", there was "an invite-only listening party for press last week" that "revealed Have One On Me to be Newsom's magnum opus".

[33][35] Aside this and touring in support of the album, Joanna Newsom performed "Soft as Chalk" at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on March 6, 2010.

[42] During the tour, Newsom alongside Fleet Foxes's Robin Pecknold performed a cover of Kid Rock's "Picture" to critical acclaim.

[44] Joanna Newsom also performed this song, incorporating a new instrumental section, in December of the same year on the Late Show with David Letterman.

They also made note of the maturing of Newsom's voice, particularly Ann Powers' review in the Los Angeles Times and Simon Vozick-Levinson in Entertainment Weekly.

[59][57] Anthony Carew of About.com gave the album five stars, calling Have One on Me "colossal" and "all of the tremors and squeaks of her original screech have been smoothed out, her polished-stone voice rolling syllables into honeyed slurs", aside concluding that "armed with more beautiful singing, more rich orchestration, and more open emotion, there's not a difficult note on here; it's two hours amounting to a staggering portrait of an artist defiantly staking her claim as one of the greatest of the 21st century.

"[69] Allison Stewart of The Washington Post called Have One on Me "her magnum opus, a three-disc set being likened to a freak-folk Sandinista!, though it feels more like a musical Ulysses.

"[70] musicOMH's Darren Harvey awarded the album five stars recognized that it is "winding, long-winded, densely poetic, and often challenging", but "never tedious or self-indulgent", an opinion also shared by Dan Cairns of The Times.

[71][72] James Reed of the Boston Globe wrote favorably about its production stating that "she could have easily overstuffed these songs, like the dizzying album cover, but instead Newsom keeps a tight grip on the music's dramatic arcs.

He wrote that "The highlights are spread out evenly, and Newsom couldn't have sequenced the record any better," and, referring to lyrics from the opening track echoed in the closer, "it reinforces just how many threads she's weaved between those songs and how incredible it is to discover new things with every listen.

"[74] Jim Scott of Under the Radar awarded the album 9 out of 10 stating that Newsom "has never been one of those artists who leave the listener wanting more, knowing that there's more to give."

"[78][79] Spin's Andy Beta expressed that Newsom "gives what few artists can deliver: a self-contained world of warmth, crystalline detail, and intimacy that lies far beyond a Twitter feed."

Q Magazine gave the same rating and shared a similar opinion commenting that "Have One on Me is a record so richly involving that it promises to throw up fresh delights weeks, or even months, down the line.

[61][81] Giving it 3½ stars, Heather Phares of AllMusic commented that "the first disc presents Newsom's biggest departures", but that "the album's cross between The Milk-Eyed Mender and Ys isn't always greater than the sum of its parts".

Or at least it hasn't yet", while Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune in his 2½ out of 4 stars review commented that "history tells us that most triple albums could've benefited from some pruning, and Have One on Me is no exception.

Cole said it was "remarkable how little narrative arc develops either within or between songs," and that most of the album plays out with "moments of inspired performance scattered haphazardly throughout tracks that just don't feel like they've been thought through."

[17] In contrast, Zach Schonfeld of the same website has been more positive towards the album while reviewing one of her concerts, describing it as "the closest Newsom will come to a Blood on the Tracks — a confessional opus, straight from the gut.