Laura Marling
Country of origin:
England
Type of music generally:
Folk-influenced alternative pop
Status:
Most recent release, I Speak Because I Can (2010)
See also:
Laura Marling's Official site
Comparisons:
A less electronic Beth Orton; Fiona Apple if she sang folk; Sandy Denny, Kirsty MacColl
Covers/own material:
Own material
General comments:
Among the better of the debuting British female singer-songwriters this year. Definitely one to watch. (lotterose @ gmail . com)
Comments about live performance:
The punchline to this extremely shaggy dog story is that she was very, very good. Excellent, even.
Frail and slight, practically elfin, she looks about 12. Not a lot of stagecraft, eyes lowered as she sings and plays an amazingly decent acoustic guitar, and her voice even stronger than on the CD. A strange, haunting, delicate kind of strength it is, like a finely wrought steel latticework, spiralling upwards. She had a full band behind her, a talented bunch, plus a string section, and while the sound was sometimes muddied by the bad acoustics, her voice shone through, and the arrangements pulled it forward. I was won over, no doubt about it, even in my grouchy, cynical mood. She only played for about 45 minutes, threw in a couple of new songs not on the album, and kept banter to a minimum. When she did speak, it was diffident and good humoured, but she was obviously nervous.
So, that's the full-fat version. It you're into folk, or folk-pop, or Nu Folk or whatever they're calling it, I recommend her highly. Buy the album and, if you can see her, take a chance. Despite my reservations, she delivers the goods. (6/08, adamk@zoom.co.uk)Saw her in New York (summer 2008) after having read a bit about her but only being familiar with a few songs. Stage presence was limited (she didn't talk much between songs and was rather introspective while singing, not really performing *to* the crowd) but the set was fun, and I enjoyed it. It was also nice to see her open up and become more engaging as the evening went on. I'd go see her again. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Recommended first album:
Alas I Cannot Swim
Recordings:
- Alas I Cannot Swim (2008)
- I Speak Because I Can (2010)
Alas I Cannot Swim
Release info:
2008—Virgin—CDVY3040
Availability:
Widely available in the UK.
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Laura Marling—vocals, acoustic guitar
Guest artists:
Charlie Fink
Marcus Mumford
Tom Hobden
Emily Dreyfus
Emily Thomas
Guy Katsaw
Jesse Quin
Johnny Coates
Laura Dickson
Lotte Johnson
Nick Murray
Rob Greenwood
Winston Marshall
Produced by:
Charlie Fink
Comments:
There are many heavily-hyped young singer-songwriters coming out of England this year, but Laura Marling is one of the best. Her debut is intelligent, tuneful, and modern without being overly trendy (see: certain other heavily-hyped young singer-songwriters coming out of England this year.) Laura's voice is quite pleasant; at times, she sounds like a younger Beth Orton. Her songs are remarkably mature considering her age, and I'm still noticing little details of production in the songs themselves. Standout tracks are "My Manic And I" and "Night Terror." (lotterose @ gmail . com)Her debut, Alas I cannot Swim is actually very good, though I like it more than I love it, and it has to be admitted that at 18 years old, it's stunningly mature music and she's got a hell of a delivery (think traditional Brit folkie, a more deadpan Sandy Denny/Kirsty MacColl, although I'm open to better comparisons). (adamk@zoom.co.uk)
Thanks to Sarah Morayati for work on this entry.
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