I Speak Because I Can

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==

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. 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. ==Track listing==

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

• Laura Marling – voice, guitar • Marcus Mumford – drums • Winston Marshall – banjo • Ted Dwane – double bass • Tom Hobden – fiddle • Ruth De Turberville – cello • Pete Roe – keyboards ==Charts and certifications==

Weekly charts Year-end charts Certifications ==References==