CD Review: John Gorka

John Gorka
The Company You Keep
(Red House Records, 2001)

By Ralph DiGennaro


I count myself among those who thought ÒAfter Yesterday,Ó John GorkaÕs 1998 release, was one of the more inventive and creative efforts in the New Jersey-born songwriterÕs formidable trove of recordings over the years. Full of nuance and percussive twists and turns, ÒAfter YesterdayÓ redefined, reshaped and rethought the folk music idiom in a way few folk artists can even conceive of, much less succeed in doing. To be sure, GorkaÕs then recent move to Minneapolis and the birth of his son provided enriched fodder for his already fertile literary mind.

Long awaited by ardent Gorka fans, ÒThe Company You KeepÓ is a noble follow-up record and tries mightily to travel the same innovative paths as the ground-breaking album before it. There are some terrific new songs here, classic Gorka phrasing and melodies, but overall the record falls short of approaching the sustained brilliance of ÒAfter Yesterday.Ó

Things start off on a positive note with ÒWhat Was ThatÓ perhaps the one song that could easily have fit on the record before it. Upbeat and percussive, with a heady bass line underneath, the melodic hook in the chorus frames GorkaÕs wonderful irony in the lyrics. ÒSaintÕs ComplaintÓ maintains that bass heavy sound with echoing percussion that marries so well with GorkaÕs deep, distinctive voice. The song is also contains some of the more poignant and thoughtful lyrics on the entire album.

Ani DiFranco sits in on harmony and tenor guitar on ÒOh Abraham,Ó and lends a soulful accompaniment to the choruses. Rich DworskyÕs organ licks adds a nice texture to the background fill. GorkaÕs signature cleverness and propensity for playing with the language in surprising and amusing ways is showcased here: ÒI see a penny and I pick it up/if not the money I could use the luck.Ó

My problem is I canÕt seem to help but keep comparing ÒThe Company You KeepÓ it to ÒAfter Yesterday,Ó which keeps me from thinking even less of the lesser songs on the former, including ÒWhen You Walk In,Ó ÒShape of the WorldÓ and ÒJoint of No Return.Ó But lest one gets the idea I donÕt think much of this record I must say that there are a few truly wonderful Gorka tunes here that contain some pretty fine writing, especially ÒMorningsideÓ with its lengthy chorus, and ÒWisheries,Ó with its thinly veiled political shadings. ÒOver ThereÓ is obviously written in homage to his young son, a sensitive ode to raising a child and a family that echoes a familiar theme from ÒAfter Yesterday.Ó Added as a closer is ÒPeople My Age,Ó a funny, if not entirely sympathetic look at growing old that isnÕt actually new but a song Gorka has not previously recorded.

"Company You Keep" has some great songs scattered among a few that seem like work not quite finished or finessed enough. And while it may be clunky in places and decidedly uneven, ardent Gorka fans should not be disappointed. - Ralph DiGennaro