A Creature I Don’t Know (Ribbon Music)
Beloved English folk singer-songwriter Laura Marling has a story to tell on her third album, A Creature I Don’t Know. Marling proves once again that she is a complex creature that’s worldly and wise, well beyond her 21-years. Always the humble musician, she creates a poetic masterpiece filled with a newfound independence and womanly confidence. On the album’s debut single “Sophia,” Marling, like Aeneas invoking the Sybil, softly leads us into a dashed incantation. Sweet humming melodies and angelic backing vocals mix with the steady strum of Marling’s guitar. Marling takes her authorial power and evolved guitar skills to a whole new level. “The Muse” is an upbeat and jazzy track à la Joni Mitchell, whereas there is an innate darkness present in “The Beast,” the lyrics spill out like a doomed love letter. A Creature I Don’t Know is a sweeping work whose lyrics and music demand and deserve as much attention as the luminous Marling. By Lara Streyle
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