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Fish Records
Caroline's two previous releases, 'Twilight' and 'Wellspring' were both huge
critical successes, and the release of this new album builds on this reputation,
and will inevitably cement her as one of the finest, authentic, singer/songwriters
and storytellers on the contemporary folk scene.
A 4 year gap between this album and 'Wellspring' has seen marriage and
motherhood, and has also resulted in some fully formed, thoughtful and
substantial songs.
She digs deep into the roots of the South, and the traditional instrumentation of
acoustic guitars, upright bass, fiddle, banjo and pedal steel give the disc an
authentic roots feel and a genuine sense of place. This feeling of location is
emphasised in her vocals which are smooth and bursting with character, but it's
even more present in the lyrics which are full of references to the rural South.
The centrepiece of the disc is the 'Paper Gown', which relates the real tale of
Susan Smith, a 23yr old South Carolina woman who drowned her sons, it's an
important story and an important song, Herring's account of the story is an
impressively subtle, moving and memorable piece of writing. Elsewhere, her
eight original songs are mixed with two traditional pieces and the high quality
of the lyrics, arrangements and overall flow of the disc, mark 'Lantana' out as an
album of real substance.
It's an intense and individual album that is full of lyrical and musical highpoints;
it's possibly a little too dark to bring her to an audience outside of the folk and
singer/songwriter fans, but those looking for an acoustic album full of
character, depth and real quality, 'Lantana' is a powerful, intimate low-key
masterpiece.
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