It's not easy being a great folksinger -- you've got to walk a tightrope across a musical minefield where the slightest misstep can find you wallowing in post-Joan Baez warble, drowning in affectation à la Martha Wainwright, or perishing in any number of other aesthetic pitfalls.Golden Apples of the SUn makes a strong case for the addition of Caroline Herring to a select few including Kate Wolf, Linda Thompson, and Iris DeMent. Pitched at a point equidistant between honeyed and throaty, her warm, measured tones consistently deliver just the right emotional effect whether she's transforming the songs of others or bringing her own to the table. The ominous minor-key strum that introduces her version of the Cyndi Lauper hit "True Colors" is a sonic red herring that makes you certain you're about to hear Nirvana's "Come as You Are," but Herring's takeover of the song is so complete that it scarcely registers as a cover, even by the time it hits the chorus. She performs similar feats even on well-trod territory like "Long Black Veil" and "See See Rider."