John Fogerty/The Blue Ridge Rangers – Rides Again (Verve) ****

John Fogerty re-visits The Blue Ridge Rangers concept 36 years later, and the effects are great. This is not a release of brand new Fogerty-composed material, but a country-flavored covers album. And as the title suggests it is the second installment.

What set this release apart from many other covers records are the conviction and the execution of the material. Despite not being the writer of these classics, Fogerty makes them sound as if he was the one who wrote them. His usual rich demeanor and style of delivery is unmistakable. Much can be said about the selection of the songs played here, but as a whole the album flows with clarity. Many of the songs here most likely selected because they must have been influential to Fogerty at some point, or were simply his favorites.

Rides Again screams party and good time very loudly. The material collected here is meant to make the listener feel very much alive. There are some special guests on this album as well. On When Will I Be Loved, The Boss (Bruce Springsteen) puts his seal of approval. Garden Party features the golden voices of The Eagles as Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit aid Fogerty. Not that John Fogerty needs any input from special guests; he is more than capable of powerful delivery on his own, but it makes it more special I suppose.

On a personal note, this writer used to listen to his father’s copy of the original release from The Blue Ridge Rangers back in 1973 as a child, so it felt natural to purchase the sequel as an adult. In some ways, a generation gap was closed.

Despite the fact Rides Again is a covers album; it does not make it any less important in Fogerty’s catalog. Rides Again is a great record made by an American icon. John Fogerty is a great songwriter and performer whose star will shine brightly for many years to come.

Mark Kadzielawa