Cat Stevens to return this summer with a new album
The 12-song collection is called King Of A Land and comes out in June on George Harrison-founded Dark Horse Records.
FILE - British singer-songwriter Yusuf / Cat Stevens performs at the 2016 Global Citizen Festival in Central Park in New York on Sept. 24, 2016. Stevens will release a new album of original songs this summer. The 12-song collection is called “King of a Land” and comes out in June on George Harrison-founded Dark Horse Records. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Legendary British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens will release a new album of original songs this summer that took the Peace Train hitmaker over a decade to make and revisits familiar themes of togetherness.
The 12-song collection is called King Of A Land and comes out in June on George Harrison-founded Dark Horse Records. The album cover illustration shows a boy playing guitar on top of the Earth, as a cat stretches and a train puffs along a track.
The first single is the cheerful, family friendly Take The World Apart, with the lyrics “I'll take the world apart/to find a place for a peaceful heart”.
“The source of musical inspiration for this song came from the 50s. The smoochy harmonies and chords have an enchanting effect on the ear. Life was simpler then: Lonely hearts yearning for love," he said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The album reunites Stevens with producer Paul Samwell-Smith, who produced three Stevens albums between 1970-72 – Tea For The Tillerman, Teaser And The Firecat and Catch Bull At Four.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Stevens, who also goes by Yusuf, the name he took when he converted to Islam, has been a respected writer since releasing his debut in 1967. He’s had a string of Top 40 hits, from Peace Train and Wild World to Morning Has Broken. He was just named to Glastonbury’s coveted Legends slot this summer.
