“You can’t go wrong/if you play a little bit of that Creedence song,” at least according to former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty on the iconic rocker’s latest release, “Revival” from Concord Records.

It’s true. The swamp-rock legend, as the New York Times reviewer Jon Pareles put it, “is angry about the war, the president, American culture and vanished youth on his new album, ‘Revival,’ and it just makes him rock harder.”

“Revival,” which has been hailed as the 11th best record of 2007 by Rolling Stone, is up for “Rock Album of the Year,” setting the stage for a showdown of classic rock against the “Magic” of Bruce Springsteen. Unabashedly a fan of the Boss, I must admit the candidacy of Fogerty’s return makes me a bit uneasy (Somehow I’m not terribly concerned by newcomer Daughtry and his Candyland pop-rock). The singer-songwriter’s guitar, voice and lyrics are sharp as ever, and there is truly not a bad song on the album. “Gunslinger” and “Natural Thing” are rollicking jams, and “Broken Down Cowboy” - the best of the mellower tracks - is solemn, somber, and tremendously moving.

My own Grammy wish-list aside, John Fogerty has delivered on his promised “Revival” and awakened the soul-shaking growl of yesterday to prophesy against today, and dream of tomorrow. The album is as heavy on CCR references as Grand Rapids is on CRC churches - on the rockin’ track “I Can’t Take It No More” Fogerty slams the president, nearly screaming “I bet you never saw the national guard/Your daddy wrote a check and there you are/Another fortunate son.”

To quote the fortunate son himself, “Bring it on” - this is just what the doctor ordered.

Rating: 5/5