Laura Marling has always been good at covers, and in recent years she's been indulging that talent a lot. The London singer-songwriter regularly records other people's tunes and shares them on her Substack. As the great music journalist Will Hermes recently pointed out, those covers are mostly behind a paywall, and they include songs by Adrianne Lenker, Neutral Milk Hotel, Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, and Dolly Parton. It turns out Marling has also been spending a lot of time covering Raffi.
Another theme for Marling in recent years has been parenthood. In 2020, she released Song For Our Daughter, an album written to her imaginary future child. She returned in 2024 with Patterns In Repeat, an album written after actually becoming a mom, reflecting on the new experience of parenthood. Now she's brought the proclivity for covers and the interest in motherhood together by releasing a whole album devoted to the works of one of the greatest living children's entertainers.
Today, after teasing the project back in January, Marling released Laura Sings Raffi, a full album of songs by the great Raffi Cavoukian. The album contains Marling's faithful renditions of 17 songs including "Baby Beluga," "The More We Get Together," and "Down By The Bay." Not all of them are Raffi songs, but they're all delivered in his style, in tribute to him. She shared the following statement:
Laura Sings Raffi marks a logical next step for me, but it's not only a desire for tolerable children’s music that landed me here. Having discovered Canadian songwriter and children’s entertainer, Raffi, while living in North America, I developed a love for his sincere, dead pan renditions of both his original songs for the very young and those plucked from the canon - all before I even had children of my own.
These covers, though not all Raffi originals, are delivered in homage to his style and ethos, that being not only a respect for children and his expert attendance to what entertains them, but also to his wider audience - the parents whom he has blissfully attended also.
Be funny, be kind, and never patronise.
On her Substack, Marling says this project has sparked an interest in recording more children's music. She posted a cover of the French children's song "Dans Sa Maison Un Grand Cerf" along with this note:
I’m enjoying this all so much that I’ve begun work on my next children’s music project - Laura Sings France…sample below. I’ve gotten deep into French nursery rhymes as part of my never-ending and until now fairly demoralising journey to learning and retaining basic French. There are so many incredible French children's songs. Looking forward to sharing more here soon and furthering my chances of being able to live in France at some point.
Which leads me to ask whether any of you know of any native French tutors who are also musical and based in London? To help me with pronunciation - if you do please do let me know!
Marling released Laura Sings Raffi under the name Laura Sings. It's not included with her main catalog on Apple Music, but you'll easily find it by searching for the title. Or you can just stream it below. (Don't miss "One Light, One Sun," which could easily feature on one of her regular albums.)
Laura Sings Raffi is out now on More Alarming Records.
