{$John Fogerty} is many things, but predictable is not one of them. His solo career has proceeded in fits and starts, with waits as long as a decade separating solo albums, and when the records did arrive, they could be as brilliant as {^Centerfield} or as bewilderingly misdirected as {^Eye of the Zombie}. There was no telling what a new {$Fogerty} record would bring, but perhaps the strangest thing about his sixth studio album, 2004's {^Deja Vu All Over Again}, is that it's the closest thing to an average, by-the-books {$John Fogerty} album that he's released in his solo career. Unlike its immediate predecessor, the Southern-obsessed {^Blue Moon Swamp}, there is no unifying lyrical or musical theme, nor was it released with the comeback fanfare of that 1997 affair. Instead, {^Deja Vu} slipped into stores in September of 2004, and its sound was as low-key as its release. {$Fogerty} handled the arrangements and production, and while it was recorded in a professional studio in L.A. with studio veterans like drummer {$Kenny Aronoff} and mixed by {$Bob Clearmountain}, the album retains a homemade feel, largely because the songs are so simple and modest. {^Deja Vu} has a little bit of everything that fits into {$Fogerty}'s signature style -- revamped {\rockabilly} ({&"Honey Do,"} {&"Rhubarb Pie"}), {\swamp rock} ({&"Wicked Old Witch"}), old-fashioned {\rock & roll} ({&"Sugar-Sugar (In My Life)"}), choogling minor-key jams ({&"In the Garden"}), sweet {\country}-tinged acoustic tunes ({&"I Will Walk With You"}), even a protest song in the vein of {&"Have You Ever Seen the Rain"} (the title track, a truly effective effort in drawing parallels between Vietnam and the Iraq war). While the sound on these is a little too polished, these are enjoyable songs which are somewhat undercut by a handful of cuts that recall the flailing cluelessness of {^Eye of the Zombie}: the empty hard rocker {&"She's Got Baggage,"} the odd {\disco}/{\new wave} vibe of {&"Radar,"} and {&"Nobody's Here Anymore,"} where {$Fogerty} sounds like an old fogy as he despairs about disconnected computer geeks with "a stash of Twinkies" and a bored kid in a classroom "listenin' to the {\rock} star on a CD," when he'd be more likely to listen to {\rap} on his iPod. These songs amount to minor bumps on a record that's otherwise pretty smooth sailing -- a relaxed, friendly collection of songs that reside comfortably within {$Fogerty}'s signature sound. At its core, it's more of a collection of songs than a unified album, and these songs are enjoyable, but modest. Apart from the title track, there are no major statements here, but there's enough craft and spirit to ensure that most {$Fogerty} fans are bound to find several songs to actively enjoy on {^Deja Vu All Over Again}. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide