Deja Vu All Over Again (Geffen, 2004)

Even as a member of the rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty was only political on rare occasions. With that as a backdrop, it should be no surprise that the title cut of his new album, an anti-war Vietnam throwback anthem of sorts, is his only step into that world on this release. He has said in other published interviews that he didn't even know the song was going to be in that vein when he started writing it.

Most everything else in this 10-song outing will ring familiar to those who have followed Fogerty's long career. The vocals are the same, though maybe delivered with a bit more maturity and consistency. The guitar still conjures up swampy, roots-rock images that are more of a throwback than an oldies radio station's fare.

While the title cut is topical and has served as the first radio hit from the album, the best song is easily 'Nobody's Here Anymore," which features the guitar work of former Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler. There are a few flat spots on the disc, like the simplistic "Sugar-Sugar" and the cutesy "Rhubarb Pie." But overall there's certainly more solid music than fluff to be found here.