[rating=6.0]
By far the very best track on John Fogerty’s Wrote A Song For Everyone is “Long As I Can See the Light” recorded with My Morning Jacket. Jim James’ voice turns him into something a younger version of Fogerty when he sings, while the prominent piano and organ echo the arrangement of the Cosmo’s Factory recording by CCR, as does the crisp guitar fill and the authoritative no frills rhythm work.
“Someday Never Comes,” recorded with Dawes also suits the song and the artists. The vulnerability in Taylor Goldsmith’s voice heightens the poignancy of the composition as it effectively contrasts John Fogerty’s rougher tenor. In addition, the understated acoustic-based arrangement turns dynamic with the biting electric guitar solo, furthering the bittersweet emotion.
The remainder of Wrote A Song for Everyone, largely but not wholly comprised of Creedence Clearwater Revival songs performed with a wide diversity of artists, doesn’t possess the soul of those original performances. One of John Fogerty’s best topical tunes, the barbed “Fortunate Son,” remains relevant, but the song loses force because The Foo Fighters play it so heavy-handedly. The arrangement of “Proud Mary,” featuring Jennifer Hudson, Allen Toussaint and The Rebirth Brass Band, can’t help but sound cluttered, even if not in comparison to the spartan simplicity of the Creedence version. Meanwhile, the inclusion of some of Fogerty’s latter day solo numbers, including “Hot Rod Heart” (with Brad Paisley) and “Almost Saturday Night” (with Keith Urban) dilute the concept of the album, not to mention suffer in comparison to vivid Creedence gems such as “Lodi” and “Born on the Bayou.”
The latter features Kid Rock, where Fogerty proves his voice and guitar remain distinctive. Yet “Bad Moon Rising” finds The Zac Brown Band in a rather faceless accompaniment to the author. And working with Miranda Lambert and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello on “Wrote A Song for Everyone” suggests a certain clash of demographics (though the latter’s recent association with Springsteen may give the lie to that), reaffirming the mixed messages at the heart of the record.
Ultimately, the title of Wrote A Song For Everyone assumes an unintentionally negative connotation because John Fogerty comes across unsure of exactly which audience he wants to court–country, new rock, crossover pop—and ends up trying to appealing to too many at once. In the end, this album’s most inviting affect may be to send music lovers back to the original CCR recordings, all of which are superior to the bulk of these new productions.
