- MOJO
- September
2006
- Courtesy
of Murphy Anderson
In
The Studio This Month
YUSUF
ISLAM
Title:
TBC
Date: October
Production: Yusuf Islam
and Rick Nowels
Songs: There
Is A World, One Day
At A Time, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,
Heaven
The
Buzz “Today
there are probably 101 good reasons why I
feel right making music and singing about
life in this fragile world again.” Yusuf
Islam
Yusuf
Islam, the artist formally known
as Cat Stevens, retired from the music industry
in 1978. In the intervening years he has devoted
himself to his Muslim faith, Islamic education,
and other charitable works; of abandoning
the pop success he’d enjoyed since 1966,
he would later write, “The only real
regret I have is that the link that existed
between those who listened to my songs and
me ceased to exist.”
His
first album of pop songs in 28 years may be
seen as an attempt to re-establish that link.
Recorded in London and Los Angeles in approximately
five two-week periods between December 2004
and December 2005, it was co-produced by Islam
with Rick Nowels, whose writing and production
credits Madonna, Dido and K.D. Lang.
“I
am a huge fan of Cat Stevens’ music,”
says Nowels, who adds, “[the recording
was] fantastic, one of the best musical experiences
of my life. I got to sit on the floor in a
big recording studio with a couple of acoustic
guitars and help him put his songs together…
All his musical powers are there.”
There
is enough in the warm, melodious music that
resulted in make those who’ve missed
Cat Stevens feel a glow of recognition.
The
music is played on mainly natural acoustic
instruments and predominantly acoustic-guitar
driven, with Islam’s voice striking
unchanged since the ‘70’s. While
songs are open to religious interpretation
– see the orchestral,
pleading cover of “Don’t Let Me
Be Misunderstood”, or the gentle “One
Day At A Time” and it’s references
to the gardens of paradise- they are harmony
with the spirituality of his early, ostensibly
secular work. “Musically it’s
a contemporary Cat Stevens record,”
said a spokesman. “It’s not a
religious record per se, but one which seeks
to understand the gulf between ideologies.
It doesn’t set out to preach, more to
question the position taking that causes so
much strife in the world. There is a direct
connection between what Cat Stevens was trying
to achieve musically and the songs by Yusuf
Islam.”
As
well as singing Islam played the central guitar
parts, piano and keyboards. Among the musician
who contributed
are Cat Stevens’ guitarist Alun Davies,
and keyboardist Jean Roussel, double bass
player Danny Thompson, string player John
Themis, percussionist Luis Jardim and former
‘Damned’ member Lu Edmonds, who
played oud, darbuka and saz. On one song additional
vocals were provided by Youssou N’Dour.
Early
reports have compared the album to the 1971
Cat Stevens LP Teaser and the Firecat, though
Rick Nowels disagrees. “The songs are
reflections of where he is now in his life.
I would say that hs is conscious of starting
a new chapter, of creating a Yusuf Islam body
of work."
Top
of Page |
