I Speak Because I Can

I Speak Because I Can is Laura Marling's coming of age album, if such a thing can be said about the brilliant songwriter whose compositions belie her age (for the record, she'll be twenty this year). Recorded in 2009 at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in outside London, and featuring the talents of her backing band Mumford & Sons, I Speak Because I Can reveals a new side to Laura Marling, whose debut was released when she was only seventeen years old. Its ten songs are imbued with a new richness, ripeness and sophistication, marked by homespun tales and sparse instrumentation. I Speak Because I Can showcases not only Marling's ability to tell one hell of a story, but her incredible guitar playing, which has grown more intricate since her first album.

Marling will return to the studio with Ethan Johns within the next few months to work on a second album of new material that will be released in the fall of 2010. More details on this record will be announced upon its completion.