Album Review: The Bright Side of Down by John Gorka

With 12 albums under his belt, John Gorka is no newcomer to the folk scene, but this is his first offering in four years, and well worth the wait. Bright Side of Down is everything a folk recording should be, with thoughtful lyrics nestled into well-crafted songs and simple arrangements that put the song first. Gorka's gentle storytelling is a series of snapshots of the everyday, interpreted, in "More than One" and "Don't Judge a Life," with the benefit of hindsight.

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Bright Side of Down is singer and songwriter John Gorka's first set of new studio material since 2009's So Dark You See. Once more produced by Rob Grenadek, it features his regular band and some well-known friends. Gorka's work has developed along a particular line over the last two decades. He pays close attention to the details in his craft -- rhyme, musical economy, tight melodies -- and whether what's in a song is true to it.

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It’s been awhile since there’s been a new James Taylor album to placate the public, and now… it appears to have arrived in the form of John Gorka’s latest offering, Bright Side of Down. Okay, that may seem like an inappropriate pretext when one considers Gorka’s own admirable track record, but the comparisons are often inescapable. On tracks like “Don’t Judge a Life,” “Thirstier Wind” and “High Horse,” Gorka emulates JT’s easy, amiable delivery, blending bittersweet adages with an unfailingly affable style.

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