title: So Dark You See
text: # So Dark You See
  
  So Dark You See is the eleventh studio album by folk singer-songwriter John Gorka, released on October 13, 2009. The album offers eight new examples of Gorka's own lyrical songwriting, two instrumental tracks, poetry of Robert Burns and William Stafford performed and set to music by Gorka, covers of songs by fellow folk musicians, Utah Phillips and Michael Smith, and Gorka's take on the blues standard, "Trouble in Mind".
  
  ## History
  
  This was Gorka's eleventh studio album release in a career that has spanned over two decades. The album held the top position on the Folk Radio airplay chart for the months of September and October 2009. Folk Alley named "Ignorance & Privilege" as No. 6 on their list of The Top 10 Folk Songs of 2009.
  
  ## Reception and commentary
  
  Professional ratings :
  
  | Review scores ||
  | - | - |
  | Source | Rating |
  | Acoustic Guitar | favorable |
  | Curator | favorable |
  | Flying Shoes | favorable |
  | The Gazette | favorable |
  | MusicMatters | favorable |
  | PopMatters | 6/10 |
  | Washington Post | favorable |
  | Rob Williams | favorable |
  
  Critical response was positive.
  
  ## Personnel
  
  Musicians
  
  * John Gorka — vocals, fretless banjo, guitar, harmonium, keyboards and percussion
  * Marc Anderson — percussion
  * Dan Chouinard – accordion
  * Dick Freymuth – electric guitar
  * Rob Genadek – Percussion
  * Eliza Gilkyson — vocals
  * Dean Magraw — electric and acoustic guitars
  * Michael Manring — fretless bass
  * Peter Ostroushko — fiddle and mandolin
  * Joel Sayles – vocals, upright bass
  * Enrique Toussaint – electric bass
  * Jeff Victor – keyboards
  
  Production
  
  * Produced by Rob Genadek and John Gorka
  * Engineering by Rob Genadek and John Gorka at The Brewhouse in Minneapolis, MN
  * Lucy Kaplansky recorded by Mark Dann in New York City
  
  Artwork
  
  * Front cover painting, "Clairmont near Ascutney" by Tom Pirozzoli
  * Back cover photography by Jos Van Vliet
  * Art direction and design by Jon Reischl
  
  ## Chart performance
  
  | Chart (2009) | Peak position |
  | - | - |
  | Folk Radio Top Albums | 1 |
  | Americana Radio Albums | 44 |
  