Cat Stevens 13: An Other Cup

Well, this was unexpected. After nearly three decades of musical silence—save the occasional benefit performance in this century—the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens returned to a world everyone thought he’d left behind. Not that Yusuf Islam had been completely absent; he still showed up in the news when his academic views on the Muslim faith collided with conservative Western thought, a situation not helped when the word “Islam” caused knee-jerk reactions throughout the so-called War on Terror. That could be why An Other Cup was credited to simply Yusuf, with a sticker helpfully referencing his ‘70s nom de pop. (We’re keeping him tagged under that name for our own convenience.)

Despite the Latin horns on “Midday (Avoid City After Dark)”, the album more or less picks up where he left off, and if some of the music sounds like vintage Cat, that’s because some of it is. “Heaven/Where True Love Goes” plays on the last section from “Foreigner Suite”, while “I Think I See The Light” revisits a tune from Mona Bone Jakon. “Greenfields/Golden Sands” was supposedly begun in the ‘70s, but not finished until now. Old friends like Alun Davies and Jean Roussel are on board to bring back the classic sound as well.

In general, the album delivers thoughtful acoustic folk-type songs without too much over-production. “In The End” is the closest to a straight pop song, while Youssou N’Dour adds his unique voice to “The Beloved”. “Whispers From A Spiritual Garden” and “When Butterflies Leave” are detours into poetry. The most surprising song is a remake of the Animals’ “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”, with lyrical changes designed to defend his beliefs rather than plead with a lover. (The UK got a bonus track in the form of “There Is Peace”, which isn’t any more or less pleasant than anything else on the album proper.)

Overall the lyrics aren’t any more preachy than Dylan’s born-again phase, and still center on the same search that dominated his best music of years before. The music is what matters, and his voice, as warm as ever, makes An Other Cup worthwhile. It’s nice to have him back.

Yusuf An Other Cup (2006)—3