PRESS FOR LANTANA
"Crafted with timeless elegance and graceful confidence, Caroline Herring's Lantana is the best modern Southern Gothic since Lucinda Williams' Sweet Old World." - Margaret Moser, The Austin Chronicle
" Every attempt pierces its mark. In fact, few folk albums since Young's 2005 hallmark "The Art of Virtue" have proved a more thorough success." Four Star Review - Brian T. Atkinson, Austin American Statesman
"Herring is not hesitant to uncover any story, even the ones most of us avoid. She would make a good reporter, except she has too much music in her. That's our good fortune." - Jim Blum, Folk Alley
"Insightful, evocative writing is the common denominator of Lantana, a
compelling acoustic album rooted in the complexities of women's lives, especially women of the south." - No Depression
"Herring's vocal is so delicate it almost breaks; instead she just breaks your
heart." - J. Poet, All Music Guide
"Herring's strength, hope and sincerity are uplifting. It won't be the soundtrack for your next party, but for many women, it may be the soundtrack of your life." - Jacquilynne Schlesier, Country Standard Time
"Hearing Caroline sing is uplifting, for her artistry is about directness not artifice of technique. Her voice is comforting, of the earth, yet carries you skywards by turns. Her sure-footed resolving melodies ease the listener to take in her words, often tackling harsh reality." - Americana Roots
"There's an inherent sadness in her voice that conveys pain and regret with a sharpness that cuts to the bone." - Shane Harrison, Atlanta Journal
Constitution
"It's a pure, heartfelt, honest and even retro album from a woman obviously unconcerned with commercial popularity. Lantana might have been released to greater acclaim 40 years ago, but it heralds a return to a classic sound that never goes out of style." - 3 STARS Hal Horowitz, The Sunday Paper
"…Collection of gothic and melancholic portraits that draw inspiration from actual events as well as the literary word, a marriage of fact and fiction." - Arthur Wood, FolkWax
"Like the flower for which it is named, Lantana is more than it seems. When the lantana flowers, butterflies swarm. It is magic, simple as that."
- Frank Gutch Jr, Swampland
"…This album is haunting and beautiful, combining strong songwriting with solid, effective production and stunning vocal delivery." - Cover Lay Down
"She has a sharp eye for what lies beneath all the love and tenderness that seems the be subject matter of her songs if you don't listen closely enough." - Hans Werksman, Here Comes The Flood
"This album is a testament not only to her ability as a musician, but also as a storyteller who happens to set her tales, woeful and happy, to music."
- Mary Warner, Delta Magazine
"Herring has a journalist's eye for detail, a poet's sense of scale and language, and a life-long Southerner's understanding of the issues that shape the culture below the Mason Dixon line." - Mississippi, The Birthplace of American Music
"When an album like Lantana starts to play, and a voice like Caroline Herring's fills the room, you just know you're hearing something that's more than special." - John Lewis, Rodeo Attitude
"Lantana is a powerful, intimate low-key masterpiece." - Fish Records
"…When a release gets this good, words have a tendency to become
superfluous." - Don Grant, Freight Train Boogie
"Caroline Herring has quietly carved her own country-folk niche, with minimalist, bluegrass-inflected sound and homespun sophistication." - Thomas Kintner, Hartford Courant
"Every now and then the internet comes up with a gem that should not be
overlooked. Readers should take seven minutes of their browsing time and
reflect upon this YOUTUBE video [Lantana video]. Americana roots singer/songwriter Caroline Herring discusses her southern heritage and demonstrates that songwriting can be intelligent, contain razor-sharp observations, and function as a tool for social consciousness." - Georgianne Nienaber, OpEd News
"Every song here offers something special, something insightful and something musically impressive." - Mark Fisher, Times West Virginian
"One of the most pure collections to come across my desk this year, Herring has an uncommon depth and grace, don't miss this one." - David Malachowski, Daily Freeman
"The singer's voice is at all times up front, where it belongs. All concerned do their best to show how a smart, expertly conceived album is done, and Lantana, with confident understatement, turns out just so." - Jerome Clark, Rambles.NET
"It's a record that burrows into the soul and knocks around in there, demanding more than easy answers to big questions about survival." - Sean Hickey, West Chester Daily Local
PASTE Magazine
Reid Davis
June 2008
Indies 1, Nashville 0
In the nightmare version of Caroline Herring’s story, she moves to Nashville, signs a big publishing deal and is stuck dumbing down her razor-sharp songwriting for Music Row pod people like Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. Fortunately, Nashville hasn’t yet sunk its claws into Herring’s immensely empathetic, unprepossessing charm. Exhibit A: “Paper Gown” (about convicted child-murderer Susan Smith) has to be the best example of a songwriter getting inside the head of an unsympathetic real-life protagonist since Steve Earle’s “John Walker’s Blues.” And rather than an immaculately auto-tuned robo-singer, Herring effortlessly plumbs the emotional depths of her songs with her evocative alto. Her delivery, along with Rich Brotherton’s pitch-perfect production, makes this song cycle resonant in more ways than a simple, rootsy singer/songwriter album ought to. Lantana comes on the heels of a five-year break
"