Caroline Herring confidently returns to the forefront of the American roots music scene with her new album Lantana. The Mississippi-born, Atlanta-based singer/songwriter took the producing helm for the first time on the new record, co-producing with long-time collaborator Rich Brotherton (Robert Earl Keen). Intimate, powerful and honest, Lantana is a masterpiece of understated intensity. In many ways, this album is Herring's re-imaging of the Gothic South, with a rich alto voice that soothes the listener even as she addresses difficult subjects. Herring expertly throws her hat in the ring of the long-standing murder ballad tradition, this time representing Susan Smith in the song "Paper Gown." Herring's commitment to uncovering the truth in her songs led fellow artist Dar Williams to call Herring "the elusive real thing." There is no artifice on Lantana. It's an album full of delights, lyrically and musically. And just like Caroline Herring, her new album is the real thing.
