Marina Allen’s music is the stuff of legend: a voice that surfs many musical tangents, hovers and persists, that stings with honesty. She morphs from Karen Carpenter’s gentle reverence to Laura Nyro’s soulful grit, moving through the phases like some possessed Dada performance artist before throwing in a melody like Joni Mitchell at her jazziest or borrowing from the close harmonies of the lamented Roches when they flipped out with Robert Fripp.

“I’m a big Karen Carpenter fan, Carole King too, and a huge Joni Mitchell fan. Joni Mitchell was really one of the first singer/songwriters to be viewed as an artist rather than as a traditional craftsman. Her bohemian sense and sophistication really elevated things; she’s a big inspiration to me.”

Those influences cast the seeds that flowered as Marina’s music: She writes songs that carry notes from other realms, as she lingers at the lake strumming an acoustic guitar with her feet dangling in the water. These are kitchen table tales about love and fear, capturing the wild heart, sketching the breaking dawn, bringing real life to life.

“I’m first and foremost a singer; the melodies occur naturally. As to writing and arranging the songs,