Laura Marling

Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can - 2010 - Virgin

British folksinger Laura Marling’s 2008 debut, Alas I Cannot Swim, showed more depth and maturity than one would expect from a (then) 18-year-old. Marling’s expressive, smoky voice and penchant for lyrical matter that didn’t reference clubbing landed her a well-earned Mercury Prize nomination, as well as a considerable amount of hype concerning her follow-up. Released in 2010, I Speak Because I Can delivers on nearly every level, upping both the production value (thanks to Ryan Adams and Kings of Leon producer Ethan Johns and fellow indie folk darlings Mumford & Sons) and the songwriting. Love, death, and heartbreak are hardly new subjects when it comes to folk music, but they refresh themselves so often in our lives that their relevance becomes tenfold with each new bite, scrape, or blow to the head, a notion that Marling explores with both guarded wisdom and elegant petulance on standout cuts like "Devil’s Spoke," "Made by Maid," "Rambling Man," and "Goodbye England." At its heart, I Speak Because I Can is a stoic, bare-bones singer/songwriter record, which makes the tastefully peppered bursts of explosive percussion, banjo, mandolin, and backing vocals from the Mumford gentlemen all the more effective and not just window dressing to cover up a cookie-cutter storefront. That said, it’s Marling’s enigmatic voice (think Florence & the Machine and Fiona Apple), clever phrasing (think Joni Mitchell), and adherence to the alternately warm and wintry vibe of late-'60s/early-'70s classic rock and folk (think Led Zeppelin III) that listeners will keep coming back to, regardless of the packaging. © James Christopher Monger © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-speak-because-i-can-r1735514/review

Laura Marling was still studying for her A-levels when she released her debut single at the start of 2007. She had completed her debut album by the end of that year. Raised in a musical household, Marling was playing guitar and writing songs from an early age at the prompting of her folk music loving father. Her own musical favourites included artists such as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and Nina Nastasia, and directed her early songwriting attempts away from pop towards the alternative end of the folk scene. After playing a number of local gigs, the 15-year old Marling attracted the attention of Virgin Records who signed her up and have released her first two albums. Her 2008 debut album "Alas, I Cannot Swim" proved to be one of the most endearing critical successes of recent years and earned the young singer-songwriter a Mercury Music Prize nomination, an honour that was also bestowed on this, her second full length offering. "I Speak Because I Can" was crafted with producer Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon, Ryan Adams, Paolo Nutini, Rufus Wainwright), and sets quintessentially English lyrical themes and stories to a backdrop of music that recalls prime Americana and the Laurel Canyon scene. Backed by sublime performances by musicians including Mumford & Sons, the album represents a coming-of-age for Laura; her unique identity - thoroughly English, unapologetically female, and a fully-fledged musician - now freshly defined. Hailing from Hampshire, England, Marling utilises her talent for poetic lyricism and striking melodies to form pop songs of the highest order. Marling's gentle acoustic picking technique compliments the subjects close to her heart - it's easy to feel from her tender British voice that she is singing from experience. "I Speak Because I Can" is a darker record than 2008's debut "Alas, I Cannot Swim", taking further influence from traditional folk, although Marling's modern charm remains. © http://www.audioteam.pt/discos/lp/details/11484.html

This second album from Laura is often dark, moody, and introspective. It may not contain the "catchier" tunes found in some of her other albums, but there is no doubting the lady's talent as a very original songwriter. In their subject mattee, many of the songs are reminiscent of James McMurtry, Leonard Cohen, Roy Harper, Al Stewart, and Joni Mitchell. Marcus Mumford, the lead singer and guitarist of London based folk band Mumford & Sons provides backing vocals on the album which was nominated for The Mercury Music Prize. The album was also listed at number 8 on The Guardian's Albums of 2010. This album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Laura's "A Creature I Don’t Know" album and support real music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 104 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Devil's Spoke 3:39
2 Made By Maid 2:52
3 Rambling Man 3:16
4 Blackberry Stone 3:29
5 Alpha Shallows 3:42
6 Goodbye England (Covered In Snow) 3:45
7 Hope In The Air 4:32
8 What He Wrote 4:07
9 Darkness Descends 3:40
10 I Speak Because I Can 4:00

All songs composed by Laura Marling

MUSICIANS

Laura Marling (voc, g)
Pete Roe (g, p, voc)
Ted Dwane (b)
Winston Marshall (bjo)
Marcus Mumford (dr, man, perc, bjo, voc)
Ethan Johns (perc, dr, b, p, si, mel, a.o.)
Tom Hobden (v, va)
Ruth De Turberville (vc)

SHORT BIO

Singer/songwriter Laura Marling was only 16 years old when she emerged on the British indie scene in 2007 thanks to a handful of infectious singles made available on her MySpace profile. Endowed with a husky voice, an acoustic guitar, and a gift for building quirky, hooky folk songs (characteristics that find her compared favorably to artists like Lily Allen, Regina Spektor, and Martha Wainwright), Marling quickly made a name for herself throughout England thanks to a heavy touring schedule and a few high-profile gigs, not the least of which included an appearance at the 2006 City Showcase: Spotlight London and as the opening act for Jamie T. Although she was still without a label one year later, her debut EP, My Manic and I, was slated for independent release in the late fall of 2007. This status didn't last for long, however, because in early 2008, signed to Virgin, Marling issued Alas I Cannot Swim, which also came as part of a multimedia Songbox package. In 2010, Marling released her sophomore album, I Speak Because I Can, which debuted at number three on the U.K. albums chart and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Marling's third studio album, A Creature I Don’t Know, arrived on September 9, 2011. © Margaret Reges © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/laura-marling-p908985/biography