Laura Marling - Rambling ManAlbum: I Speak Because I Can [2010]
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 would compare her favorably to the likes of regina spektor and lily allen), marling quickly made a name for herself throughout england thanks to a heavy touring schedule and a few high-profile gigs. 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 long however, because in early 2008, she signed to virgin and released "alas i cannot swim". her follow-up, "i speak because i can", delivers on nearly every level, upping both the production value 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 scrape, a notion that marling explores with both guarded wisdom and elegant petulance on standout cuts like "rambling man". at its heart, the album is a bare-bones singer/songwriter record, which makes the tasteful bursts of explosive percussion, banjo, mandolin, and backing vocals (from members of mumford & sons) all the more effective. that said, it is marling's enigmatic voice, and clever phrasing (a la joni mitchell) that will keep listeners coming back.
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