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29 January 2004
John Gorka, Old Futures Gone (Red House)
John Gorka's Old Future's Gone is an introspective record. While it doesn't break ground and does little to carry the singer-songwriter genre to new locales, the 14-song disc is a thoughtful, listenable affair, a well-produced effort that places Gorka's rich baritone in a comfortable setting -- acoustic guitars, occasional electric lead, keyboards, drums, etc., each instrument sharing space, none rising out of the mix to draw attention from the whole. Many of Gorka's lyrics mine veins of loneliness, exploring the seams along which relationships break apart. "They moved between hurt and hunger," he sings in Dogs & Thunder", remembering one that got away, but "There are doors that you walk through, that only swing one way." Gorka will "always be lonely", he sings in "Always", "It's the way that I am." Occasionally, the songs show a broader interest -- such as "Old Future", which quotes Blake and bemoans a lost future; or "Soldier After All", which champions those who stand up for their beliefs; or "War Makes War", which attempts to turn the words of Martin Luther King Jr. into a modern-day protest song. Each of these songs fail lyrically, lacking the specificity that makes Steve Earle or Bruce Springsteen's folk-based protests so effective. He is much better at introspection. Ultimately, this is a safe album. Musically, the disc stays within a narrow frame of reference, mixing mid- and down-tempo songs, acoustic instrumentation, lending a sameness to the effort. It is pleasing to the ears, but offers no challenges, leaving an album that is best listened to from afar.
— Hank Kalet
.: posted by Editor 9:18 AM
