**1/2 John Gorka

BETWEEN FIVE AND SEVEN

(High Street)

Abandoning the country twang that permeated his last two albums, Gorka, on his sixth CD, returns to the tranquil folk territory of earlier works. Armed with his rich, emotive baritone and delicate acoustic guitar work (accompanied by a slew of musicians including multi-instrumentalist/producer John Jennings and bassist Michael Manring), the talented singer/songwriter explores more Gorka-esque themes, among them the healing power of love ("Two Good Reasons") and the reconstruction of blue-collar towns by white-collar people ("The Mortal Groove"). But on this, the second Jennings/Gorka collaboration, the material feels a bit recycled, and Gorka's own acoustic work takes a back seat to that of other musicians -- I wonder whether the increased production slickness isn't hurting his warmly intimate sound. Still, Gorka's lyrics are golden, in their appreciation of the simple details of life. And if experience is any indicator, his material will open up a bit in live performance.

-- Bryan Reesman

(John Gorka plays Sanders Theatre with Janis Ian this Saturday, November 16.)