Fresh-faced she may well be, but 18-year-old Marling carries an old head on young shoulders. Either that or she faked her birth certificate and gets away with it by liberally applying Boots No7 Age Rewind cream at every available moment. There is yet another alternative: young Laura shunned the record collections of her peers in deference to that of her parents.

And given this debut album, steeped as it is in folk tradition, you can even imagine Ma and Pa Marling eschewing playing the usual soundtrack of dolphins to their womb-based treasure. Instead, this Early Listening Centre was probably treated to the warblings of the baroque Judee Sill. Over and over again – Hot-Chip-stylee.

In fact, Laura began playing her father’s guitar at the precocious age of three. He remains an amateur singer-songwriter. The only amateur thing about his daughter, with every track on this long-player a master-class of consummate professionalism, would have to be her passionate love of music.

(4/5)