John Gorka
After Yesterday
Red House Records

Let's be honest. For years, I made it my life's goal to meet and marry John Gorka. He's now married, and I, of course, am holding out hope to wed Lyle Lovett. It's been said you never forget your first love, or your second, or 18th -- whatever. I suppose that's why I still carry a torch for John.

His voice is one of the most calming I've ever heard. This collection, especially, evokes peaceful, sunny day feelings out of me. Aside from his voice and guitar, John utilizes sounds from mandolin, banjo and fiddle. Basically, he could be singing crap and I'd still love it.

As it happens, he isn't singing crap. In the song "Thorny Patch," he croons the line, "Love demands a thicker skin." No kidding, buddy. "Amber Lee" tells the story of a modern-day, everywoman Marilyn Monroe type. "St. Caffeine" pays tribute to one of America's most popular drugs. One song I like without really being sure why is "When He Cries." As in, "He looks like Charles Bronson when he cries." Gee. Ya gotta love a song that hooks up Charles Bronson and crying.

In "Zuly," John once again shows off his ability to create a complex, character-driven story. He and fellow singer/songwriter Lucy Kaplansky have this in common. In fact, I'm fairly certain it's her singing backing vocals on several of these tracks. I was working off a promo copy, so the info wasn't available to confirm my suspicions. She's done a lot of work with him in the past, and they've obviously influenced one another.

Buy John Gorka's CD's. Any of them. This is an excellent collection - not too heavy, but not exactly a no-brainer, either. Maybe you'll see why I still sigh longingly at the mention of his name.

-Kate Rice

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