Be Bovvered About Laura Marling
It is fair to say that most teens are a horrible mix of anger, resentment, bad hair cuts and acne. They whinge, they moan, they talk in a strange slang that nobody over the age of 23 can understand and perhaps worst of all, they think they bloody know it all. That’s probably why it is so difficult to believe that Laura Marling is just a teen herself.
At just a tender 19 years, she has a voice which very much belies her age. At times sounding world weary, her voice rich with emotion and depth as she recounts a tale of a partner’s ‘Night Terrors’. This could easily be the voice of someone twice her age.
Tinged with a folkie sensibilities; strings, guitar and traditional story telling, it effortlessly sways to its conclusion. Similarities to other female singer-songwriters such as Beth Orton are apparent, but Marling maintains a fresh, urgent and unquestionably wise beyond her years.
At present more notable for her sugar sweet backing vocals on Noah and the Whale’s jaunty, ‘Five Years Time’, the solo Marling sounds a world away. Although pipped at the post for the Mercury Music Prize this year, this is a singer songwriter who is bound to go far.