devotion for which his restless '70s songs seemed a perpetual quest, the singer-songwriter born Steven Demetre Georgiou has successfully resurrected Cat Stevens's m...
devotion for which his restless '70s songs seemed a perpetual quest, the singer-songwriter born Steven Demetre Georgiou has successfully resurrected Cat Stevens's m...
An Other Cup - Yusuf
Three decades after decisively trading fame and his superstar moniker for the spiritual
... more
devotion for which his restless '70s songs seemed a perpetual quest, the singer-songwriter born Steven Demetre Georgiou has successfully resurrected Cat Stevens's muse, if not his persona. The musician whose dedicated embrace of Islam embroiled him in controversy frequently sings its praises on An Other Cup, both boldly (the Prophet-lionizing "The Beloved") and with delicate reflection ("Whispers from a Spiritual Garden" reworks Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi). Given the political and religious misconceptions that have often plagued him, he's mused for years that his theme song should be Nina Simone's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"; here Yusuf makes good on the promise, conjuring a cover steeped in brooding elegance with the assistance of Madonna/Dido/Rod Stewart producer Rick Nowells.Yet, as "Heaven/Where True Love Goes" attests, the musician remains as masterfully adept at blurring distinctions between spiritual and romantic ecstasies as he is at evoking his trademark idealism in the lilting harmonies of "Maybe There's a World." Fans of his vintage catalog will find intriguing riches outside the more spiritually focused works here, too, with the familiar idealism of the previously unrecorded 1968 song "Green Fields, Golden Sands" and the muscular "I Think I See the Light" further evoking the glories of Cat past. The production leans towards the spare and shrewdly contemporary, whether casting the effusive opener "Midday" in Paul Simon's spirit of cross-cultural adventure, underscoring the melodic charms of "One Day at a Time," or suffusing "When Butterflies Leave" and his autobiographical cover of Simone with graceful, neo-classical strings. Considering the career time lapse, it's a remarkably strong effort, yet one inspired by a gentility and spiritual inquisitiveness that's comfortably familiar. --Jerry McCulley
devotion for which his restless '70s songs seemed a perpetual quest, the singer-songwriter born Steven Demetre Georgiou has successfully resurrected Cat Stevens's muse, if not his persona. The musician whose dedicated embrace of Islam embroiled him in controversy frequently sings its praises on An Other Cup, both boldly (the Prophet-lionizing "The Beloved") and with delicate reflection ("Whispers from a Spiritual Garden" reworks Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi). Given the political and religious misconceptions that have often plagued him, he's mused for years that his theme song should be Nina Simone's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"; here Yusuf makes good on the promise, conjuring a cover steeped in brooding elegance with the assistance of Madonna/Dido/Rod Stewart producer Rick Nowells.Yet, as "Heaven/Where True Love Goes" attests, the musician remains as masterfully adept at blurring distinctions between spiritual and romantic ecstasies as he is at evoking his trademark idealism in the lilting harmonies of "Maybe There's a World." Fans of his vintage catalog will find intriguing riches outside the more spiritually focused works here, too, with the familiar idealism of the previously unrecorded 1968 song "Green Fields, Golden Sands" and the muscular "I Think I See the Light" further evoking the glories of Cat past. The production leans towards the spare and shrewdly contemporary, whether casting the effusive opener "Midday" in Paul Simon's spirit of cross-cultural adventure, underscoring the melodic charms of "One Day at a Time," or suffusing "When Butterflies Leave" and his autobiographical cover of Simone with graceful, neo-classical strings. Considering the career time lapse, it's a remarkably strong effort, yet one inspired by a gentility and spiritual inquisitiveness that's comfortably familiar. --Jerry McCulley
Album Notes: 'An Other Cup' is the first pop release from Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) since converting to Islam and comes twenty eight years after his 1978 release 'Back To Earth'. Produced by Rick Nowels (Dido, Rod Stewart) the album is a welcome return to the classic singer-songwriter sound that earned Cat Stevens rave reviews in the sixties and seventies. The single 'Heaven/Where True Love Goes' is also included.
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An other cup. Review ofOtherCup, An - YusufIslamby
hewholaughslast
Advantages: An insight into a poets mind... Disadvantages: None...
...converted to Islam in 1977 and bowed out of the music scene…much of his time was dedicated to charitable causes and education in the new community he found himself in and this was approved by many fans, however, in the 80's he lost a lot of fans when he was quoted as calling for the death of writer Salman Rushdie, after Rushdie's Satanic Verses became a hugely popular and controversial novel about the Islam religion. The quotation was exaggerated, however, and Stevens was unfairly branded as a fanatic...in 2004, he returned to the public eye when he was denied entry into the United States after his name appeared on a no-fly list. He successfully sued British newspapers for libel because of their reports on this incident…
Life still goes on and Yusaf has released an album called "An othercup" after some 28 years of soul searching…its not folk...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: variety of songs and artists, lots of No.1's Disadvantages: many songs you've never heard of
...single.
5 Bloc Party - So Here We Are - Top 5 single from February 2005. The band members are Kele(singer), Russell, Gordon and Matt.
6 Athlete - Wires - Joel Pott, Carey Willets, Tim Wanstall and Steven Roberts make up Athlete. Wires was released on 17th January 2005 and was their first top 5 single.
7 Robbie Williams - Misunderstood - Released December 2004 and used in the film 'Bridget Jones the Edge of Reason', this was a top 5 hit for the robster.
8 Ronan Keating Ft. YusufIslam - Father And Son - Originally released by Cat Stevens(now YusufIslam) in the early 1970's this was brought out in December 2004 by ronan and got to No2.
9 Darius - Live Twice - written about his fathers battle with cancer, Live Twice was released 7th of January 2005 and only got to No.7.
10 Daniel Bedingfield - Wrap My Words Around You - Got to no.12...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Classic Stevens - all the oldies are here Disadvantages: None
...A man of three names, a prolific songwriter, a distinctive singer – this was the debut album that launched the career of Cat Stevens. Born Stephen Demetri Georgiou of Swiss and Greek parents, Cat left a string of classic albums and hit singles across a decade and a half before giving up the musician’s life and turning to Islam (he is now called YusufIslam).
His first singles (‘I Love My Dog’ coupled with ‘Portabello Road’; ‘Matthew And Son’ backed by ‘Granny’) were both hits in the UK but made no progress across the Atlantic. Several of his compositions were recorded by other artists at the same time (‘Here Comes My Baby’ – The Tremeloes; ‘The First Cut Is The Deepest’ – PP Arnold)
His first album took the title of his second single. It was produced by Mike Hurst, one time member of The Springfields. I bought the vinyl LP at the time...
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helpful 18.11.2002
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