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Hartford Courant
Thomas Kintner
March 21, 2008
Since her 2001 debut, Caroline Herring has quietly carved her own country-folk niche, with minimalist, bluegrass-inflected sound and homespun sophistication. The Atlanta-based Mississippian weaves charming Southern subtleties on her third album, "Lantana." Herring's mildly husky alto on "Midnight on the Water" and mountain- style presence on the simmering "Paper Gown" show her range. She has a pleasant manner on the airy "States of Grace" that loses only a little of its coolness when she contemplates womanhood on "Song for Fay." Her springy bluegrass turn "Fair and Tender Ladies" is as meticulous as her stroll through the gospel reverie of "Lay My Burden Down," but even at her most unhurried, Herring's approach is naturally fluid. Her arrangements are similarly organic, from the breezy country pulse of "Stone Cold World" to the bass-thickened lullaby "All the Pretty Little Horses," full of vibrant details despite their slight frameworks.
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