Vanguard

For the longest time, John Fogerty refused to go near his own Creedence Clearwater Revival catalog due to copyright issues with his former label. When he finally re-embraced those classic rock mainstays, it was with a renewed fervor – when Fogerty revived Creedence live, his old songs crackled instead of sounding tired and worn. For Wrote a Song for Everyone, he takes another approach to some of his most durable compositions – the potentially lethal, hardly fresh studio team-up with an all-star guest list. Fortunately, Fogerty makes it work by accommodating the styles of his collaborators without relinquishing his own personality.

The set gets off to an explosive start with “Fortunate Son,” featuring the Foo Fighters. One of the great ‘60s anti-war anthems, it raged when Creedence recorded it and it’s a natural fit for the serious horsepower Dave Grohl & Co. bring to it today.

For the most part, the pairings work. Fogerty always had an affinity for country, and two of the most natural partnerships are the straightforward “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” with Alan Jackson and “Almost Saturday Night,” a standout from Fogerty’s eponymous 1975 release, retooled here with an assist from Keith Urban. Brad Paisley, a wicked guitarist in his own right, matches Fogerty’s furious axe-power on the semi-obscure “Hot Rod Heart,” and the Zac Brown Band add a homey Americana touch to “Bad Moon Rising.” Fogerty’s two sons, Shane and Tyler, virtually strip the country out of “Lodi,” giving the song a harder, bluesier pounding.

Of the rockers, My Morning Jacket’s “Long as I Can See the Light” mostly lies flat, never quite finding its footing, but Dawes’ sparkling reading of “Someday Never Comes” is a welcome re-intro to a somewhat forgotten latter-day Creedence gem. Bob Seger is in surprisingly fine vocal form on a lush “Who’ll Stop the Rain” and Kid Rock, though he doesn’t do anything new with the song, handles “Born on the Bayou” respectably enough. Tom Morello and Miranda Lambert make an odd but simpatico trio with Fogerty on the title track and the obligatory “Proud Mary” closer nods to the rave-up Ike & Tina Turner cover with Jennifer Hudson, Allen Toussaint and the Rebirth Brass Band bringing the funk.

The two new, guest-free songs, “Train Of Fools” and “Mystic Highway,” aren’t out of place at all – in fact, they bode well for whatever’s next from this resilient American music icon.