So Dark You See

Editors’ Notes It’s truly stunning what some folks can do with just an acoustic guitar and the power of their own voice. John Gorka is an elite level singer-songwriter who occasionally allows bass and drums to help drive his tunes. But in the end it comes down to the incredible intimacy of Gorka and his guitar. Two instrumentals, “Fret One” and “Fret Not” allow for a few quick flourishes of fingerpicking and fretboard chops. But it’s the simple, subtle shadings of “Night Into Day” that show off everything Gorka can do. The emotion comes through on the strum of the first guitar chord and doesn’t let up until the final notes rings out. He interprets Utah Phillips’ “I Think of You,” Richard Jones’ bluesy “Trouble In Mind,” and Michael Smith’s “The Dutchman” with the same grace he brings to his own originals. “Whole Wide World” tips towards pop. “Ignorance and Privilege,” “Where No Monuments Stand,” “That Was the Year” and “Diminishing Winds” deliver a contemplative songwriter. Sophisticated yet never over-complicated, Gorka’s a veteran with miles to go before he’s complete.