John Gorka – Old Futures Gone

Never what you’d call a flashy fellow, John Gorka has created a body of work that provides a cozy retreat when darkness falls. His quiet, dependable excellence has made him something of a folkie equivalent to former baseball star Al Kaline — a well-rounded talent who played every day, routinely ranked among the league leaders, and rarely made crucial mistakes.

Now based in Minneapolis, Gorka is a New Jersey native who cut his teeth on the New England singer-songwriter scene in the 1980s. His warm, favorite-shirt baritone makes a fine vehicle for the introspective interiors and gently barbed second-person commentaries that have dominated his output, and if there’s a tendency toward melancholy and disappointment, his bemused sense of humor generally sidesteps full-out pity parties.

Old Futures Gone, Gorka’s ninth disc, largely consists of the mid-tempo, tuneful miniatures that have been his stock in trade, with guest harmony vocals by Lucy Kaplansky and Alice Peacock. Solid backing is drawn from the Twin Cities’ rock and folk scenes, with the Honeydogs’ Jay Victor earning MVP honors for his varied keyboard textures.

Dedicated to late Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone and his wife Sheila, Gorka’s first recordings since September 11 do find him paying more attention to the world at large. And if it’s not quite a rabble-rousing activism he espouses, “Outside”, the title track, “Soldier After All”, “War Makes War/If Not Now”, and the infectious, rolling “Look The Other Way” display a welcome shift toward stalking bigger game.