Tom Petty helped to resurrect the career of Del Shannon, Bruce Springsteen lent a hand to Gary U.S. Bonds, and now John Mellencamp has turned producer to assist yet another unjustly neglected 60s artist. That artist is soul shouter Mitch Ryder, whose brief but memorable stay on the charts in 1966 and ’67 embraced tunes like “Jenny Take a Ride!” and “Sock It to Me Baby!” Since then, he has failed to score with American listeners, but Never Kick a Sleeping Dog ought to mark a turning point. Featuring strong material by Mellencamp, Prince, Ryder, and others—as well as a homogenous duet with Marianne Faithfull—this is a firmly directed and thoroughly convincing step back toward center stage.