Album Review: Laura Marling-Once I was an Eagle

What: Music Review (Laura Marling - Once I was an Eagle)

         I’ve only recently began listening to Laura Marling and I’m sure glad I have. The 23-year old English singer song writer is not only amazingly beautiful, but also young and extremely talented. For those of you just discovering her, like I am, you should know that Laura Marling isn’t new to the music scene despite her age. Her new album, Once I was an Eagle, is actually her fourth studio album and she’s been producing music since 2008. However, Laura Marling is just now becoming popular across the big pond, and her music deserves a listen to by all modern day music fans, especially those craving for new talented musicians to listen to. Her newest album, Once I was an Eagle, displays her true talent. Although in my opinion is not as good as some of her previous efforts, the new album still displays who Laura Marling is and what she stands for.

        Over an hour long and constructed of folk, ‘Once I was an Eagle’ is the fourth studio album by the London born Laura Marling. The album simply consists of Laura and her singing while playing the guitar through every song. While that may not sound too appealing to some, it’s actually a pleasant and relaxing experience and a good break from the all the other harder edged music out there. Unlike her three previous albums, this album was not recorded with a band.

        Laura Marling is one of those artists who do not tour regularly, and seeing a performance by her is actually pretty rare. Her music may be defined as gentle and sweeping, soothing and interesting to all degrees of the matter. Her voice blends in well with her guitar playing and this connection can be especially heard on the new album. When artists break out of the band and focus their attention to simplifying things down is when you can really pay attention to the meaning of their music. The lyrics become more powerful than just a voice in the band, and the acoustic guitar sounds more triumphant then ever. This is the case with all songs on Laura Marling’s new album, ‘Once I was an Eagle’, and if you enjoy that kind of thing as much as I do, I strongly suggest it is worth a lesson too.

        Folk fans should be generally pleased with the album as each song is monumental force of folk like lore. Each song on the album is a bit different from last, which isn’t a bad thing at all. Laura’s powerful singing and song writing is more dominant here than her previous albums as well, and one can tell that her career as a musician has truly begun. The 23 year old sing song writer is coming out of her shell and her music has matured more and more. You can tell this alone by listening to the albums first singer, ‘Master Hunter’, which seems a lot deeper than most of Laura’s previous tunes.

       Laura Marling’s music has always been emotional, and that emotion carries well and hard edged into ‘Once I was an Eagle’. While some have compared her voice and song writing to Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, on this album Laura truly becomes herself and a one of a kind force to be reckoned with. Marling’s struggle with romance can be heard throughout the album as well.

      Although this new album may not be as catchy as her previous ones, it is a well-defined effort especially by one as young as Laura Marling. The album shows that she’s got talent and that talent can go extremely far in the future. Laura Marling’s singular voice is exceptional on this album, as well as her guitar playing. While each song is a little different than the last, they are all fairly good tunes and deserve a listen to if you’re a Laura Marling fan or just wanting to discover new, talented musicians. ‘Once I was an Eagle’ is overall a fine studio record produced by an up and coming singer song writer, Laura Marling.

Overall Rating:  3.5 out of 5 Stars  ***/*