Laura Marling

Laura Marling is a singer-songwriter based in London, known for her highly sophisticated songwriting and Laurel Canyon inspired style. She works mostly in the acoustic format, accompanied probably more often with a piano and/or string section than bass and drums. She does not tap into rock idioms all that much and stays focused on folk. Her style has a few identifiable threads but perhaps the most obvious is the influence that the incomparable Joni Mitchell had on her writing (and vocal delivery to some extent), especially early on. There is also some Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen in her music, and if one goes deep enough, the acoustic pieces on Led Zeppelin III are also in there. Her songs are not upbeat or cheery, but not particularly melancholic either.  Her songwriting is subtle, and her guitar work can be sublime, especially the special touch she brings with her finger picking.