Like many people locked down in quarantine during 2020,
John Fogerty
decided to embark on a homespun project with his family. In his case, he decided to teach his three youngest children --
Shane
,
Tyler
, and
Kelsy
-- how to play a bunch of the songs he wrote over the years. Initially, it started as an online event called
Fogerty's Factory
, which then turned into an EP and, later still, a full album of the same name. All three incarnations share a sensibility and several songs, but there's a big difference between the LP and the EP. Where the EP focused squarely on
Fogerty
's biggest hits from "Proud Mary" to "Centerfield," the LP digs a little bit deeper into his catalog, reviving songs from
Blue Moon Swamp
and adding covers of
Bill Withers
' "Lean on Me" and
Steve Goodman
's "City of New Orleans," both containing spoken intros by
. The Fogertys don't tinker too much with the arrangements of any of the songs here, but the recordings do have a casual, relaxed feel that separates them from their original recordings or any live versions the rocker has released over the years. This is a warm, low-key affair, a record about family bonds and togetherness that gets by on its gentle, endearing vibes. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine