Laura Marling

When Laura first charmed us with her delicate and sweet acoustic virtuosity on 'Alas, I cannot Swim', we saw the coupling of a talented songstress and the youthful, effervescence of a girl with so much to prove, but with so little to worry about.

Now, still barely 20, Marling has already delved into a darker, more expressive second album to deliver ten tracks of some of the most competently written songs in her short career.

Opener 'Devil’s Spoke' is a menacing, banjo picking incantation filled with fire and brimstone and a heady spreading of folklore references, already many miles away from what we believed Marling would conceive. Second track 'Made By Maid' mildly relieves our ruffled feathers and seats us comfortably into the rest of the album with deftly finger picked guitar while a lower, mellower tone is suddenly obvious in Marling’s voice as she cryptically allegorises 'I was born in the fog of the day/ could they hear a babe under all that faith?/ Or had they forgot what it was that they made?'

'Rambling Man' continues in the same tempo but with a Joni Mitchell signature rise in pitch and an introduction of percussion to the proceedings give it a jollier air, though the song itself seems to delve a little deeper into Marling’s perception of herself and challenges the self deprecating attitude in which she views herself and the futility of life: 'Beaten, battered and cold/ My Children will live just to grow old/ But if I sit here and weep/ I’ll be blown over by the slightest of breeze'

The production has been balanced to perfection, with no one instrument taking centre stage over Laura’s uniquely clear accentuations but still managing to implement soaring string sections and accompaniment in just the right place. 'Blackberry Stone' and the vulnerable sounding 'Goodbye England' are perfect examples of emotion without an overstated instrumental self indulgence and are classic pieces of art for this reason alone.

Though many fans will recognise a number of these tracks from previous live performances, there is no doubt that the final compilation is a jaw dropping accomplishment from a young woman who is expressing a depth and experience far beyond her years.