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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - John Hiatt is never sure what to make of those phone calls.

Like this one a few years ago: ''Hello, John, this is Eric Clapton,'' Hiatt says in a faux British accent. ''Love to do your song.''

''I'm like, 'Yeah, right.' At first I thought it was a friend putting me on.''

It was no put on. Clapton and B.B. King had decided to record Hiatt's ''Riding With the King'' as a duet.

Artists including Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Iggy Pop, Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Buddy Guy, Don Henley, Paula Abdul, Jewell and Three Dog Night also have come calling to cover Hiatt's songs.

This week, the 52-year-old singer-songwriter released his 21st album, ''Master of Disaster.'' Recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis, it continues Hiatt's knack for smart, rootsy rock 'n' roll, from the R&B-tinged ''Find You At Last'' to the bluesy ''Ain't Ever Goin' Back'' and the ragtime-flavored ''Wintertime Blues.''

Cody and Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars back Hiatt on drums and guitars, respectively, while their father, Jim Dickinson, produced.

''I'd always wanted to make a record with Jim Dickinson, and I'd known about his boys for years,'' Hiatt says. ''He reminded me that when they were 13 or 14 years old they had a punk rock band and I'd called him and wanted to make a record with them then.''

Hiatt, whose 32-city tour includes an Aug. 9 stop in Salt Lake City, is one of those curious figures in popular music who is praised by critics and other artists but largely unknown to the public. He's even more enigmatic than others in that vein because, unlike a lone poet with a guitar, his songs seem radio ready with a full rock sound, strong melodies and his distinct, raspy vocals.

Yet, while everyone has heard Raitt's cover of ''Thing Called Love,'' hardly anyone has heard Hiatt's original.

That disconnect doesn't faze him.

''I don't even think about that stuff,'' Hiatt says. ''Put yourself in that position. To hear your song on the radio or on someone's CD or record - that somebody would bother - is great. It's nothing but a compliment. Plus you get money in the mailbox.''

With the new album, Hiatt again weds keen lyrics with fetching melodies. On ''Ain't Ever Goin' Back,'' for example, a brooding song about coping with lost love, he sings, ''A pint of gin and a long bus trip. Somebody said you just get over it. I ain't ever goin' back no more.''

Hiatt says most of his songs begin with him noodling on a guitar and singing gibberish until an idea comes to him.

Born and raised in Indianapolis, Hiatt moved to Nashville when he was 18 and got a songwriting job with Tree Publishing.

He signed with Epic Records and released his debut album ''Hangin' Around the Observatory'' in 1974. Neither that album nor the follow-up sold well and the label dropped him, but one of the tracks, ''Sure As I'm Sittin' Here,'' became a hit for Three Dog Night.

Hiatt moved to Los Angeles in 1978 and landed another record deal, this time with MCA. He took a more New Wave sound but, despite some good reviews, the label dropped him again.

Hiatt later returned to Nashville and found his niche with 1987's ''Bring the Family,'' a loose, rootsy outing on A&M Records that's largely defined his sound ever since.