Caroline Herring: Gothic Story Songs

Mississippi singer-songwriter Caroline Herring's new album, Golden Apples of the Sun, is her most intimate and mature work to date, mixing timelessly personal story songs with Gothic tales of the modern South. But the record also includes a handful of familiar tunes, rendered anew by the singer, including classics such as "See See Rider," "Long Black Veil" and even a reinvention of Cyndi Lauper's 1986 hit "True Colors."

"I thought I could never sing it like Cyndi Lauper did," Herring tells All Things Considered guest host Mary Louise Kelly. "I'm a folksinger. I don't have that range; I don't have that style. I think Cyndi Lauper is amazing and a real American original, and so I thought she wouldn't mind. In fact, I thought she'd like it if I changed things around."

Herring grew up steeped in Southern literature, sang in church choirs, and has long been associated with the Austin, Texas, music scene. But for Golden Apples of the Sun, she decided to uproot herself and record at the Signature Sounds Studio in Pomfret Center, Conn., with only producer David Goodrich around for musical arranging and accompaniment.

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