Cat Stevens addresses critics on new album
Cat Stevens, aka Yusuf Islam, has decided it's time to tell his own story his own way - through music on a new album and in an autobiography.
The 66-year-old singer retreated from his life as a folk-musician in 1977 after converting to the Islamic faith.
After decades away from the music industry, he made his return in 2006 with the album An Other Cup.
In the meantime, he's faced criticism from fellow Muslims over his return to secular music. He also caused a stir in the media for his views on various aspects of his faith.
Through the lyrics of one of his new songs, Editing Floor Blues - which featured on his upcoming album Tell 'Em I'm Gone - it doesn't take a genius to figure out he might have problems with being misquoted in the media.
"One day the papers rang us up to check if I said this/ I said, 'Oh boy, I'd never say that'/ and we got down to the truth of it but they never printed that," he sings.
"People are always consuming news, constantly, and I think the process of checking the validity of words just doesn't have enough time sometimes," Yusuf tells AAP.
"That's why I take this opportunity to write a song like Editing Floor Blues because it comes direct without any barriers and without any interpretation. It comes straight to the person ... and that's why music has become my form of communication these days."
Through what he describes as a "miniature autobiography", titled Why I Still Carry A Guitar - currently sold only in the Middle East - Yusuf has also decided to tell his story his way.
"I've just written a book and it's only short (but) it does go into the details of what happened to me along the road," he says.
"It delves into a lot of interesting areas that people never saw because they were behind the veil of the news at the time. It's great insight."
Yusuf reveals he's faced negativity from people within his religious community for his return to music, but he sees it as a connection to his faith, and the book has been Yusuf's way to try to explain how he feels about it.
"The reason I wrote it (the book) was because I was hearing all sorts of rumours, particularly from the Muslim community," he says.
"Whereas I see it that I've come to peace with the issue of music and where it sits in our lives, and it's very important for many people. It's one of the staple nourishments of their lives and for me, too."
On Tell Em I'm gone, produced by Rick Rubin and Yusuf, the singer takes on blues and roots classics Big Boss Man and You Are My Sunshine, and a version of Edgar Winter's Dying To Live, alongside originals.
He says it's been a return to the music that inspired him.
"The original inspiration for this album came from my very early teenage years when I used to be hopping and bopping into clubs and listening to the great new sounds that were coming over from the USA," Yusuf says.
"It was mostly R&B ... I just fell in love with that music."
Through his long career, hiatus and return, there's certainly been a lot of changes within the music industry. But essentially, Yusuf feels the struggles are still the same.
"There's always people who tell you how they want it to be and you have to keep on fighting and struggling to get your vision, your artistic vision out."
Tell 'Em I'm Gone is released on October 31 via Sony Music Australia.
