John Fogerty
Revival
Fantasy/Concord Records

For more than two decades, John Fogerty’s sporadic studio albums have often been at odds with his Creedence Clearwater Revival past, and he finally comes back home with “Revival.”

Certainly, a good part of 1997’s “Blue Moon Swamp” effectively balanced Fogerty’s Creedence sound, while also taking him into other country and rock directions. But it was his tour of the last few years that found him rediscovering not only his legendary songs that are part of the American consciousness, but also going deep into both his CCR and solo albums for other, equally rich material.

Now that he’s back on his original label, Fantasy, part of Concord these days, Fogerty is fully reclaiming all that was his in the first place–even singing, whimsically, yet true, “You can’t go wrong if you play a little bit of that Creedence song.”

Without a doubt, a great American songwriter of the 20th century, Fogerty now carries that legacy fully into the 21st. The album leads off with the gently gliding optimism of “Don’t You Wish It Was True,” but soon escalates into more scathing turns. He drew Vietnam comparisons to the Iraq War in his fine “Deju Vu (All Over Again)” from his last studio album three years ago, and heats up from sorrow to searing. His guitar is blistering for “Long Dark Night,” a Bush-blasting indictment: “Georgie’s in the jungle, knockin’ on the door, come to get your children, wants to have a war.” He’s even more angry in the rave-up of “I Can’t Take It No More.”

The political-depth charges are contrasted by other songs: his Buck Owens-loving side pops up in the twangy “Broken Down Cowboy;” he looks back in the psychedelic “Summer of Love” to a moment in time; and fires off rockin’ rounds in “Long Shot.”

“Revival” could have been called “Rebirth,” and it’s not the first such new chapter for John Fogerty, but it may well be his most complete vitalization, a Rock Hall of Famer and American roots icon who’s not ready to rest on his many laurels. He’s thriving in the here and now.

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