I Speak Because I Can

Effortlessly mature folk from former Noah & The Whale singer.

First emerging as a backing vocalist, age 17, on Noah & The Whale’s debut hit 5 Years Time, Marling released her debut album, produced by her then boyfriend Charlie Fink of aforementioned indie folk combo, to much acclaim. The follow up to the Mercury-nominated 2008 album, Alas I Cannot Swim, more than lives up to its predecessor.

Produced by Ethan Johns - a man responsible for giving Kings Of Leon and Ryan Adams their dusty needle gravitas - I Speak Because I Can bares all the hallmarks of classic folk of yesteryear. The indie elements of her music are all but gone, with wonderful use of strings and woodwind and oblique affirmations of femininity that are a far cry from the shoe shops of Camden High Street.

The album’s centre point, Goodbye England (Covered In Snow), is the finest moment. An atmospheric, playful and beautiful love letter to frozen countryside, but either side of it lies macabre musings on death, the devil, betrayal and lust.

Plenty of other female artists have travelled similar territory in recent years but few have done so with such a gentle touch. I Speak Because I Can reveals its treasures gradually but you’ll know from the first play that you’re listening to something very special indeed. It’s the quiet ones you need to be careful of.

Album Review by Johnny Dee