I Speak Because I Can - Laura Marling

Previously of the band Noah and the Whale, Laura Marling is part of the English folk and indie scene and well known in her own right.  I haven't listened to her solo debut Alas I Cannot Swim, but reviews of her music indicate that this album is more mature, dealing with issues relating to womanhood and responsibility.  The opening track "Devil's Spoke" was instantly attractive to me.  Its a frenzy of lyrics, banjo, and bongos, and emotional storm not often seen at the beginning of an album and perfectly matching the spinning of a devil's spoke - excellent matching of the musical with the lyrical.  Her voice has a depth and grittiness I would not associate with someone of her youth and the album does not display the generalizations I would associate with yet another young female singer-songwriter and her guitar.  Marling has the ability to demonstrate a range of musical emotions and subjects.  "Goodbye England" shows her softer, sweeter bathos, following the intense, "Alpha Shallows" which begins quietly but anxiously and alternates with consuming crescendos of strings and guitar.  "Hope in the Air" is entirely melancholic and is reminiscent of a Celtic ballad.  "Darkness Descends" is wonderful because amidst the catchy melodies and bouncy rhythm are lyrics about losing control.  The title of the album is well chosen.  Marling doesn't seem to be pleading with you to appreciate her, she does not imitate others in her genre so much as simply putting forth her best self and it works.  She writes her music because she can - it is what she does best.