Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know
This really should have been titled "Show Me The Grammy". After a startling arrival in 2007 with a wonderful ep, an excellent XFM session and some equally stunning demos Marling has, over the course of two Ethan Johns produced albums, slowly morphed into an almost unrecognisable amalgam of North American singer songwriter tropes. She rides the rail from Joni to Ani (a lot of Joni & Ani as it happens) with a smidge of Sheryl on top to hedge those pop radio bets. There are even some contemporary bluegrass stylings drizzled over the top for Nu Folk credibilty. And people call Kiss cynical!

Even this risible musical merngue might be ok if the writing was less disappointing but she is unrecognisable from the woman who came up with work of the originality and tenderness of "Night Terror" and "My Manic and I". I know dressing up as something you aren't is a huge part of rock n roll but this is actually so bad I can't help but think she was conned into it, that she'll stop taking bad creative advice, drop the big name producer, ditch the ludicrous mid Atlantic (actually more mid Lake Ontario) accent and get back on track with the next one.