John Gorka is one of the most well-loved singer/songwriters in the folk community. With a career spanning 40 years and a discography of 17 solo releases, he embodies the best of folk music with his eclectic blend of folk, blues and bluegrass influences, insightful lyrics and engaging delivery. unentitled marks Gorka’s 10th album for the Red House Records imprint and furthers his legacy as a folk icon through the power of his songs and the quiet strength of his authenticity.
The album opens with “Favorite Place,” an upbeat reflection on the songwriter’s life and the creative process. As John says: “I am happiest when I’m working on a song, or better yet, in the middle of several songs. I love the place when the code is cracked and the song passes the point of inevitability. “A Light Exists in the Spring” is a setting of an Emily Dickinson poem brought to life by Gorka’s sparkling acoustic guitar and warm, rich baritone vocal.
The album’s first single is the track “Particle & Wave (Goodness in the World),” an anthem to the power of kindness and the better angels of human nature. The song was written on the day of the March for Our Lives event for the Parkland, FL High School students’ campaign against gun violence. Gorka delivers a stunning rendition of the well-loved Stan Rogers song “Harris and The Mare” (the sole cover on the album). Gorka lists Rogers as one his musical heroes and recalls meeting him, and requesting the song, at a Stan Rogers show he was MCing at Godfrey Daniel’s Coffeehouse in Bethlehem in December 1980. The album closes with Gorka’s voice and guitar front and center on a solo reprise of “Particle and Wave,”
John Gorka’s career was launched in the mid-80s when he won the prestigious New Folk award at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 1984. Several years later he signed to Red House records for the release of his debut album I Know. He migrated to Windham Hill/High Street for his subsequent three releases, earning extensive critical acclaim from a variety of publications including Rolling Stone which dubbed him the preeminent male singer-songwriter of the New Folk Movement. He returned to Red House in 1998 and has since released a string of albums that have achieved folk chart-topping success.
