I Speak Because I Can
Studio album by
Laura Marling
Released22 March 2010 (2010-03-22)
Recorded2009
GenreFolk
Length36:58
LabelVirgin
ProducerEthan Johns
Laura Marling chronology
Alas, I Cannot Swim
(2008) 		I Speak Because I Can
(2010) 		A Creature I Don't Know
(2011)

I Speak Because I Can is the second studio album by British singer-songwriter Laura Marling, released on 22 March 2010.

Produced by Ethan Johns, the album deals with "responsibility, particularly the responsibility of womanhood."[1] The album was preceded by the singles "Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)", released on iTunes in December 2009[2] and "Devil's Spoke" on 15 March 2010. The next single released was "Rambling Man", on 10 May 2010. The track "What He Wrote" was inspired by letters from a wife to her husband in the Second World War.[3] On 28 March 2010, I Speak Because I Can entered the official UK Charts at #4.[4] and has been certified Silver for sales of 60,000 in the UK. Back-up vocals are provided throughout the album by Marcus Mumford, the lead singer and guitarist of London-based folk band Mumford & Sons. These are especially prevalent on the tracks "Hope in the Air" and "I Speak Because I Can".

Early radio promos of the album contained four tracks that did not make the final commercial release. Two of these tracks, "Mama, How Far I've Come" and "Nature of Dust" were made available as a b-side to the single "Rambling Man" and an iTunes bonus track, respectively; the other two tracks, "Rebecca" and "Is A Hope" have still not seen a commercial release to date.

On the strength of the album, Marling won the Brit Award for British Female Solo Artist.

Background and themes

The themes are described by Marling as being centred on the roles of women and men in society. The album is written in the first person, but is rarely autobiographical. The song, Devil's Spoke is reported by Marling as being inspired by the Odyssey, while the final track, I Speak Because I Can, is informed by Margaret Atwood's novella, The Penelopiad, a counterpoint to Homer's epic. The song, Goodbye England (Covered In Snow), according to Marling, is about a walk she and her family took to a church during winter.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[5]
Metacritic81/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
The A.V. ClubB+[8]
The Daily Telegraph[9]
The Guardian[10]
The Independent[11]
Mojo[12]
NME8/10[13]
Pitchfork8.1/10[14]
Q[15]
Spin7/10[16]

I Speak Because I Can was received with acclaim from music critics, most noting the maturity and depth of the album, as well as Marling's rich vocals. The music aggregation site, Metacritic, reported an average of 81, signifying universal acclaim.[6] The record was listed in many end of year lists by publications, including being placed at number 8 on The Guardian's Albums of 2010.[17] Marling won the best British solo artist at the Brit awards in 2011 for I Speak Because I Can. In 2013, NME listed the album at 263 in their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[18]

Track listing

All tracks by Laura Marling.

  1. "Devil's Spoke"  – 3:40
  2. "Made by Maid"  – 2:51
  3. "Rambling Man"  – 3:16
  4. "Blackberry Stone"  – 3:28
  5. "Alpha Shallows"  – 3:42
  6. "Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)" – 3:45
  7. "Hope in the Air"  – 4:32
  8. "What He Wrote"  – 4:07
  9. "Darkness Descends"  – 3:40
  10. "I Speak Because I Can"  – 3:59
  11. "Nature of Dust"  – 1:29 (iTunes bonus track)

Personnel

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[19] 7
Belgium Albums Chart (Flanders)[20] 59
Dutch Albums Chart[21] 91
Greek Albums Chart[22] 23
Irish Albums Chart[23] 13
UK Albums Chart[24] 4
US Folk Albums[25] 7
US Top Heatseekers[26] 17

Year-end charts

Chart (2010) Position
UK Albums Chart[27] 114

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Gold 250,315[28]

References

  1. ^ "NME – I Speak Because I Can, First Listen". Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
  2. ^ "Laura Marling – News". Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  3. ^ "What He Wrote". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  4. ^ "Boyzone's Brother holds off GaGa's Fame – News – Music Week".
  5. ^ "I Speak Because I Can by Laura Marling reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Reviews for I Speak Because I Can by Laura Marling". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  7. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "I Speak Because I Can – Laura Marling". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  8. ^ Rabin, Nathan (27 April 2010). "Laura Marling: I Speak Because I Can". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  9. ^ Brown, Helen (18 March 2010). "Laura Marling: I Speak Because I Can, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  10. ^ Simpson, Dave (18 March 2010). "Laura Marling: I Speak Because I Can". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  11. ^ Gill, Andy (19 March 2010). "Album: Laura Marling, I Speak Because I Can (Virgin)". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 22 March 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Laura Marling: I Speak Because I Can". Mojo (197): 92. April 2010.
  13. ^ Denney, Alex (21 March 2010). "Album Review: Laura Marling – 'I Speak Because I Can' (Virgin)". NME. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  14. ^ Love, Joshua (2 April 2010). "Laura Marling: I Speak Because I Can". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  15. ^ "Laura Marling: I Speak Because I Can". Q (285): 118. April 2010.
  16. ^ Petrusich, Amanda (9 March 2010). "Laura Marling, 'I Speak Because I Can' (Astralwerks)". Spin. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  17. ^ Barton, Laura (14 December 2010). "Best of Albums of 2010, No 8: Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  18. ^ "Music & Film Reviews - NME.COM".
  19. ^ "Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can". australian-charts.com/.
  20. ^ "Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can". ultratop.be/.
  21. ^ "Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can". dutchcharts.nl/.
  22. ^ "Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can". greekcharts.com/. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  23. ^ "Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can – Music Charts". acharts.us/.
  24. ^ "Archive Chart". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  25. ^ "Folk Albums Archive". Billboard charts. Billboard magazine. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  26. ^ "Heatseekers Albums Archive". Billboard charts. Billboard magazine. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  27. ^ "End Of Year Charts: 2010" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  28. ^ Jones, Alan (17 March 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Ed Sheeran's ÷ outsells rest of Top 75 for second week in a row". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  29. ^ "British album certifications – Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can". British Phonographic Industry.
Categories