Laura Marling shares her hits

Ever since she entered the British indie scene more than five years ago at age 16, she’s made music that hits the heart like an arrow shot by Cupid. Like any spiritually moving music, the reason her sound resonates so deeply is almost impossible to pinpoint. What is clear is that her sophisticated yet accessible music has her poised to claim the “Voice of England” title, previously bestowed on the late Sandy Denny.

“I don’t know if this translates into American terms, but an English person is overwhelmed by the grandeur of such comments,” said Marling just after she performed a killer set at last weekend’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. “Saying that you sound like someone you idolize, well that’s just too much.”

But one listen to her music or look at her background and you realize the praise is well deserved. At age 22, Marling has already won a host of critical and popular awards, including a coveted Brit Award for her music that combines very literate, expressive lyrics with movingly sparse arrangements.

Some might even offer that comparisons to Denny and Marling’s personal idol Joni Mitchell don’t go far enough. Marling takes a lot from folk but there are plenty of other influences, too. “Night After Night,” from her 2011 album “A Creature I Don’t Know,” shows off her blues side while “I was Just a Card” mixes blues with indie rock.

Those that attend this week’s local show will have a chance to hear some of Marling’s more popular tunes and perhaps even a song or two she is considering for her next studio album that she is in the process of recording.

“I do my best not to think about the crowd reaction, just because of my nerves,” said Marling, when asked of how fans have responded to her new songs at her most recent concerts. “I am going to play one or two [new songs] but I am quite conscious that people paid to hear what they know already.”