Yusuf / Cat Stevens, “King of a Land.”
Cat Stevens, a substantial existence on the ‘70s radio landscape with hits like “Peace Train,” “Moonshadow,” “Wild World” and “The First Cut is the Deepest,” has actually lived what appear like a number of life times given that the late those days. He transformed to Islam, altered his name to Yusuf Islam and focused for several years much less on music than on humanitarian and charity work – and stimulated debate in 1989 with remarks about Salman Rushdie.
All these several years later on, throughout which he went back to the popular song world, the Cat Stevens who produced huge 1970 hit Tea for the Tillerman now passes Yusuf / Cat Stevens. It’s an apt metaphor for a man who, at 74, has actually integrated his numerous experiences on King of a Land, with 12 tunes that might not consist of an earworm like “Moonshadow” however do reveal substantial stylistic range and—in almost every case—do so with the present for tune that assisted put Stevens’ ‘70s hits over.
Take single “Take the World Apart,” a jaunty subtle acoustic declaration of function for a thoughtful man.
“I’ll take the world apart/ To find a place for a peaceful heart,” he sings.
It’s easy however interesting, harkening back to the spirit of those ‘70s hits. Similar is “King of a Land,” the title song, which philosophizes and–depending how one reads it–gets a little political: “If I ran the schools of this world/ I’d teach every boy and woman /I’d let them learn the reality.”
As has actually held true with Stevens’ 21st century body of work, he reveals his spiritual side in a number of areas on King of a Land. But it isn’t preachy, nor in many cases particularly referencing Islam. Again, the title track rolls with “If I had the stairs to the sky/ I’d raise my voice on high/ I’d want the world to hear your perfect words/ Thank you.”
On this brand-new album, Yusuf / Cat Stevens lets his love for his God promote itself.
In a comparable vein, he discusses what God has actually provided for him on “Pagan’s Run,” which has a much harder, electric-guitar-driven noise that bears little similarity to those old hits. “Avarice was my road,” he sings prior to acknowledging it was God who made his courses directly. And Stevens even uses a nod to Jesus on “Son of Mary.”
In a sense, “How Good it Feels” is a sort of bridge from the folk-like acoustic fingerpicking of a number of the tunes on King of a Land with its lyrics about the pleasures of love and life’s easy satisfaction, transitioning to a swell of orchestration. That larger sound attains complete power on “Highness,” which starts with a choir singing and advances into complete orchestration. It’s another tune about the appeal of God, and it does certainly sound as if it’s originating from the greatest of locations.
A lyric from “Highness”–“We know our hearts, and our heads, too”–uses a cool encapsulation of where Stevens is originating from in 2023. He isn’t scared to sing the applauds of his God, however wants to weigh in on worldly issues, too. And almost every tune here uses a minimum of an enjoyable listen, and typically more.
Follow reporter Sam Richards at Twitter.com/samrichardsWC.
