Beneath the Cherry Tree

By Kare Strong Music
Price $14.95
Age The entire family

Kare Strong and Josh Goforth are at it again, making beautiful music together! This collection of fourteen gorgeously-crafted original songs (penned and sung by Ms. Strong) takes listeners places alternately tender and plaintive, playful and majestic. As with their previous outing, multi-instrumentalist and producer Goforth's warm, accomplished playing and studio expertise are an essential part of what makes Beneath the Cherry Tree so special. His performances on a host of acoustic instruments help breathe indelible life into the naturalistic themes laid out in the lyrics. The album contains many a standout, including 'The Little Tree,' a song that from its opening notes showcases Ms. Strong's outstanding songwriting skills and Josh's remarkable arranging abilities. For pure fun, 'A Party for Pig,' with its menagerie of party animals and memorable sing-a-long chorus, can't be beat. The album closer, 'Song of the Wind,' is so achingly lovely the listener feels transported to a sacred space. And while Beneath the Cherry Tree's overarching theme is nature, its implicit one is connection: to the child within us (no matter our age), to our own vibrant longings and imaginings, and to all creatures, great and small.