Music |
Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens)
By
Published: Jan 01, 2006
Category:
World
Give this man credit for sincerity. The thank-yous in the booklet of “An Other Cup” — his first collection of new songs in 28 years — begin with a Muslim invocation: “All praise be to God.” The lyrics have lines like “A small house an olive tree/to keep and feed my family/let the wind blow hard, I don’t mind.” At every turn, you are reminded that although the former Cat Stevens may still live in England, Yusuf Islam’s heart is in Mecca.
But then there’s the music.
Released 40 years to the day since his first album, “An Other Cup” picks up where Cat Stevens left off. Delicate, wonderfully melodic, the music that once thrilled sensitive teenagers now provides comfort to the boomers they have become. And just in time — as religious war in Iraq turns uglier, a peaceful Muslim could serve a larger purpose than delivering 11 melodies.
I hate to dive into the politics of a CD that really has almost none, but that’s the first prism through which “An Other Cup” will almost certainly be viewed. So let’s confront Yusuf’s beliefs head-on.
As a teenager, Cat Stevens was world-famous: the English James Taylor. He contracted tuberculosis and began to consider his spiritual life, but not in a way that led to any resolutions. Then, while swimming in the Pacific Ocean off Malibu, he almost drowned.
As he recalls it: “I suddenly held myself and I said, ‘Oh God! If you save me, I’ll work for you.’" But how? His brother gave him a copy of the Qur’an. For Stevens, it was a book of answers. In 1977, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam.
Now come the misconceptions. He did not have an arranged marriage. He was unclear about the role of music in Islam — at one point, he did ask his record company to stop selling his CDs — but a marriage and three kids were the real reason he stopped recording. And he had become an activist for his faith; first funding three Muslim schools in London, then a charity for kids in war zones.
Trouble began when Salman Rushdie was condemned to death for his “blasphemous” novel, “The Satanic Verses.” Yusuf’s comment: “[If Rushdie turned up at my doorstep looking for help,] I might ring somebody who might do more damage to him than he would like. I’d try to phone the Ayatollah Khomeini and tell him exactly where this man is.” A decade later, Yusuf explained that he never supported the fatwa against Rushdie, but was describing his understanding of Muslim law. A weak explanation.
He was quite clear, though, about 9/11: “Like all right-minded people, I absolutely condemn all acts of terrorism. The actions of the terrorists were completely un-Islamic and against the teachings and example of the Prophet.”
Not that his condemnation of terrorism mattered. On a flight to America in 2004, his name signaled trouble. The plane was diverted, and he was deported. He recalled: “I was asked to repeat the spelling of my name again and again, which made me think it was a fairly simple mistake of identity,” And, later, the U.S. government said it was all a mistake — an undesirable Muslim had the same name, but spelled it differently. You are cordially invited to believe that.
His son had a guitar. He picked it up and started to play. It occurred to him that new songs might be a way for him to promote peace, even to help others understand his faith better. And the music for this CD just flowed….
Yusuf’s only direct political comment on “An Other Cup” is the inclusion of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” once a huge hit for Eric Burdon & the Animals. He’s changed one line — “Life has its problems and I get my share” — to “Life has its problems and I get more than my share.” Generous and witty, from my perspective.
If you or I left our life’s work and returned to it, almost three decades later, how rusty would we be? Would our creative spark have languished, then died? I fear the answer, for most of us, would be “yes” on all counts.
But Yusuf hasn’t dropped a stitch. His voice is as sweet as ever. His idealism hasn’t been dented. He doesn’t sing “Peace Train” on this CD, but it’s the message of almost every song here. Which makes “An Other Cup” not just a beautiful addition to the Cat Stevens catalogue, but an inspiration, a healing, a banishment of hate — a warm bath of romantic and divine love. And there’s never enough of that, is there?
— by Jesse Kornbluth, for HeadButler.com
To buy “An Other Cup” from Amazon.com, click here.
To buy “The Very Best of Cat Stevens” from Amazon.com, click here.
