San Luis Obispo High School students are raving about the English singer Laura Marling’s new album named “Semper Femina”, released on March 10. The translated title means, ´always woman´. The song “Soothing” starts off the album with a pulsing, sensual feeling.

 “I like to play the album when i go to sleep, because it gives me cool dreams,” said former SLOHS student Sarah Nighswonger.

 With the album’s second song, the listener is lulled into a sense of slight melancholy with the smooth lullaby of Marling’s mixed English-American accent in “The Valley,” which is accompanied by the quick string skills of guitarist Rob Moose.

“Wildfire” is rather like a Shelby Lynne-style southern drama that comes along with a wonderful percussive effect that you can’t help but hum and sway to, while “Don’t Pass Me By” has a bit more of a mischievous feel to the melody, which fits along nicely with the slow drone of Marling’s husky, yet feminine, voice.

“Always This Way” picks up the beat a bit with a fun, plucky acoustic guitar piece in the background, and a lonely suspenseful melody, while the lyrics seem to speak of a lost love.

The English heritage of this young singer makes itself a bit more known in this song with the occasional spoken word. Long and slow notes coming through the lyrics and background instruments provides a wonderful contrast to the quick strumming of the guitar.

“Nouel” contains a piece of its latin origin inside a lovely ballad with which the singer wants to “hit the switch that keeps you from getting gone”.The line from the roman poet Virgil “woman is ever a fickle and changeable thing”, whose latin origin inspired the name of this album, makes an appearance in this song. As well as the previous.

 The closing song is “Nothing, Not Nearly” Which ends with the sounds of birds chirping, opening the window to the next phase in Marling’s career: a unique folk singer creating her own traditions of excellence.