Todd Herzog - Tree of Life

Here's another video I'm taken with at the moment. It's Todd Herzog, performing 'Tree of Life' at the Union of Reform Judaism 2007 Biennial. I got turned on to the video by Todd's wife Karen who emailed me some promotional material the other day. I'm kind of surprised how much I like this song. It has a lovely combination of vulnerability and reverence, and like the best of singer-songwriter lyrics, it paints a detailed enough picture of a life in transition for me to say, 'yeah, I've been there too.' And I have been. Great stuff. I've listened to the video about a dozen times already and may have to shell out for his new album, Proverbs (available through CDBaby).

Here's Herzog's official 'press pack' description...

"Todd performs his own Jewish, spiritual, acoustic pop music around the country. He is an artist who takes the raw material of life experiences and creates soulful, spiritual, acoustic pop music along the lines of John Mayer, Jason Mraz, and Marc Cohn. The music is not intended solely as entertainment but also to promote healing and change in people’s lives. His songs invite us to slow down and take a closer look at how the simple choices we make each day affect the shape of our journeys. Todd is the Artist-In-Residence for Vocal Music at the upcoming JCC Maccabi ArtsFest in Minneapolis. He has a residency with several of the Jewish day schools in the Phoenix area to develop a project to celebrate Israel's 60th anniversary. He is also the cantorial soloist for a Temple Solel in Paradise Valley, AZ. "

Todd Herzog at 2007 URJ Biennial

If you enjoyed this and want more, check out Herzog's two albums "What I Wouldn't Give" and "Proverbs", but available through CDBaby. You can also get more info on Herzog's activities through his website and MySpace page.