John Fogerty, the former lead singer for Creedence Clearwater Revival and writer of the band’s biggest hits, turns 68 this year and celebrated the milestone by recording a new album. Wrote A Song For Everyone, which was released on Tuesday, features new versions of his CCR and solo hits, recorded with his friends and family.
The album features vocals from Miranda Lambert, who helps Fogerty out on the title track, which was first released on CCR’s Green River. Zac Brown adds vocals on the classic “Bad Moon Rising,” while Keith Urban can be heard on “Almost Saturday Night.”
In its review of the album, The New Yorker writes that these younger stars help the hits - which are so familiar to classic rock buffs that they have become cliches - get a refresher, while they remain true to the originals. (Although, critic Ben Greenman says that Kid Rock “doesn’t add much” to “Proud Mary” and “Born on the Bayou.”)
In an interview with Reuters, Fogerty said that it was his wife’s idea for him to work with younger musicians. “She suggested getting all my favorite artists to do various songs, and it seemed like a great idea - to do fresh arrangements and interpretations of them,” he said.
Fogerty said that the album took two years to make since it was hard to find time to work with everyone, especially Alan Jackson, who sings on “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?”
“It's remarkably hard to get 14 different artists organized, as they're all busy with their own careers, touring and recording," he said. "Everyone wanted to do it but I had no idea it'd be so difficult."
image: Amazon