Laura Marling | I Can Speak Because I Can | A

A lot has changed for British folk singer Laura Marling since she first made her appearance on the music scene in 2007. At 16, she already amassed an ever-growing fan base through MySpace. Her debut album, 2008's Alas I Cannot Swim, showcased her songwriting talent with the spotlight on her unassuming yet commanding vocals and strikingly honest lyrics. Fast-forward to 2010, and Marling has left behind the shy teenager for a more mature woman, who faithfully delivers on her newest album, I Speak Because I Can.

Marling sings seemingly without any effort, exemplified in the powerful first track "Devil's Spoke," which shows her deftly alternating between urgent and solemn vocals. While the songs are complemented chiefly by acoustic guitar, they also feature a banjo, piano, cello and members of the band Mumford & Sons as backing vocals on the album.

I Speak Because I Can is a beautiful folk album in the authentic British vein. Lyrically, Marling focuses on images of the English landscape: love, loss and introspection. "Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)," a song that unfolds like a hypnotic lullaby, and "Blackberry Stone," featuring Marling's poignant vocal delivery, are the album's stand-out tracks. There is not a weak song to be found here.

On "Hope in the Air," she defiantly sings, "My life is a candle and a wick/you can put it out but you can't break it down/In the end, we are waiting to be lit." These are the words of a determined soul, one that has already made huge creative leaps in a short amount of time. I Speak Because I Can will leave fans eager to see what Laura Marling will come up with next.