Rotation

-- j. poet

John Gorka
After Yesterday
Red House

Singer/songwriter John Gorka has always explored life with a dark eye and a slyly humorous touch. On After Yesterday, however, he seems more full of life than ever. Though it may be inconceivable to his fans, some of these songs actually seem happy. The difference in his life is that he's now married and has a small boy, and it has shaped his songs in ways that were impossible in the past. He's broadening his musical palette, too, with tunes like the freewheeling "Cypress Trees" and the bright, almost tropical title track. Gorka's ability to strike to the heart of a situation shines through on the stark, brooding "When the Ice Goes Out" and in the breathtaking wordplay of "Wisdom." His humor is here in abundance, especially on "When He Cries" -- a song about his son, who "looks like Charles Bronson when he's crying / He doesn't have the mustache but he's trying" -- and on an ode to "the patron saint of consciousness," "St. Caffeine." After Yesterday, a return to the Minnesota independent label that released his first album, marks a turning point for Gorka. He has grown as a tunesmith while remaining true to his folk roots and maintaining his remarkably keen eye for the fine details of life.

-- Jim Caligiuri