Featured Tune: "Good and True" from Mary Beth Orr

Where the Horn Speaks the Heart

Mary Beth Orr’s Good and True is the kind of piece that doesn’t just wash over you, it reaches in, sits quietly with you, and somehow leaves the air feeling different. Drawn from the birthing song of the Dagara Tribe, the track carries an almost ancient sense of purpose, yet feels strikingly intimate. Orr’s voice, warm and unhurried, holds the emotional center, while the French horn moves alongside it like a second narrator, not competing, but conversing.

There’s a rare synergy here. The horn’s resonant tones seem to mirror the inflections of the human voice, as if two storytellers are trading truths without the need for words. This interplay turns the song into more than just a listening experience; it becomes a living dialogue between breath, brass, and emotion.

Good and True feels both deeply personal and broadly universal, a reflection on motherhood, love, and grief that never drifts into sentimentality. Instead, it holds space for complexity, the way real life does. You can hear Orr’s orchestral discipline in the precision of her phrasing, but also the vulnerability of someone willing to step out from behind the score and simply feel.

In a world where songs often chase volume and spectacle, Good and True whispers and in doing so, speaks volumes. It’s a testament to the quiet power of music that’s both masterfully crafted and soulfully human.