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Caroline Herring Caroline Herring

Usually, when I get a new CD, I become impatient and begin skipping through the tracks trying to assess the CD. Typically, at least half of the songs aren't listened to fully until I've had the CD a good 24 hours or so. Caroline Herring's CD Twilight was a rare exception. When I got the CD and popped it in my player, I was initially taken back by the first song Mississippi Snow. Being voted Best New Act in the 2001-2002 Austin Music Awards, I expected Caroline Herring to be a pop artist with some catchy commercial sounding band. I was extremely proud of my fellow Austinites when I realized they voted for a talented folk artist with an arsenal of well-crafted songs. I say folk artist, but it's not fair to pigeonhole her into one category. Some songs are definitely folk, others a little bit on the country side, and some with bluegrass flair. I continued listening to the CD without ever having the urge to skip ahead. As the CD progressed, I found that I liked each song better than the last. Emma really allows Caroline to show off her voice. Whippoorwill validates the true talent of the artist. It is a beautifully sung song that is stripped down to the essentials, the artist and her guitar. The amazing thing is how full the song sounds. For those who have heard Whippoorwill on the radio, rest assured that that the entire Twilight CD is full of equally well-constructed songs. I believe that Carolina Moon, an upbeat down-home pleasure to your ears, has become my favorite track.

As an Austinite, I'm always proud to offer up one of our own when visiting friends and family out of state. Recently, my uncle sent me a Gillian Welch CD, and told me that he's been listening to it non-stop for weeks. I'll be sending him a Caroline Herring CD in an effort to one-up him. After reading up on Caroline Herring, I was suprised to find that Caroline and Gillian have crossed paths and performed together in Caroline's home state of Mississippi. Since moving to Texas, she's gained the respect of fellow musicians. She's performed with Ray Wiley Hubbard, and opened for Tish Hinojosa.

I've often wished that I could have seen James Taylor or Jim Croce in a tiny club before they exploded on the music scene. Catch Caroline while she still calls Austin home. Some day people will say, "I wish that I could have seen Caroline Herring back in the day before she was playing arenas only."

Buy CD | Go to Caroline Herring website | Blue Corn Music

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