An Other Cup

Infobox Album
Name = An Other Cup
Type = Album
Artist = Yusuf Islam

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Background =
Released = November, 2006
Recorded = 2006
Genre =
Length =
Label =Ya Records, Atlantic Records, Polydor Records
Producer = Rick Nowels
Yusuf
Reviews =
*Allmusic rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:aq6zefekbgf8 link]
*"The Guardian" rating|3|5 [http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,1943474,00.html link]
*"Hot Press" rating|4.5|5 [ Hotpress, Volume 31 number 01, 24th January 2007]
* "Los Angeles Times" rating|3|4 [http://www.calendarlive.com/music/reviews/cl-ca-yusuf12nov12,0,5662583.story?coll=cl-albumreviews link]
*Mojo rating|4|5 [http://www.mojo4music.com link]
*"The Sun" rating|4.5|5 [http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2006140003-2006520308,00.html link]
*USA Today rating|3|4 [http://blogs.usatoday.com/listenup/2006/11/this_weeks_list_2.html link]
Last album = "I Look I See" (2003)
This album = "An Other Cup" (2006)
Next album =

"An Other Cup" is an album by Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens). It was released on November 10, 2006 in Germany, November 13 in the UK and in the U.S. and worldwide on November 14. "An Other Cup" is Islam's first Western pop album since "Back to Earth", which was released in 1978 under the name Cat Stevens. On the album cover, the singer is credited as "Yusuf" with a cover label identifying him as "the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens". In an interview as to why he presented both names, he said, "You know, the cup is there to be filled ... with whatever you want to fill it with. For those people looking for Cat Stevens, they'll probably find him in this record. If you want to find Yusuf, go a bit deeper, you'll find him."

Craig Kallman, the Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Records, has described the new record as speaking to 'the essence of all the great Cat Stevens albums of the past', adding, 'It was a chilling experience sitting in a very tiny rehearsal room as he was working through all the new material'. [ [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aaQ27CqEsmSA&refer=muse Yusuf Islam, Once Cat Stevens, Plans Comeback] — Bloomberg. 07 September 2006]

Islam told the BBC: "It's me, so it's going to sound like that of course ... This is the real thing (. . . ) When my son brought the guitar back into the house, you know, that was the turning point. It opened a flood of, of new ideas and music which I think a lot of people would connect with." [ [http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061113/wl_uk_afp/afpentertainmentbritainislammusiccatstevens Quoted in Agence France-Presse article] ] In another interview Islam said, "I feel right about making music and singing about life in this fragile world again. It is important for me to be able to help bridge the cultural gaps others are sometimes frightened to cross." [ [http://www.townhall.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?contentGUID=b455ef6c-3dce-42e2-91ba-837242fda002 'Wild World' Singer to Release New Album] - Townhall.com. 08 September 2006]

The album was produced by Rick Nowels and Islam, and is distributed by Atlantic Records in North America, in a venture with Islam's own label, Ya Records. It features guest performances from Youssou N'Dour. Additional guests, Alun Davies and Jean Roussel, two of Islam's long time friends, who both played in his band as Cat Stevens from 1970 in Davies' case, during the time he was writing and recording "Mona Bone Jakon", and 1973 for Roussel during Stevens' "Tea for the Tillerman", album and tour. Both remained working with him until he left music in 1979 for 27 years, appearing on his first television broadcast performance on "Later... with Jools Holland" in 2006. However, this was the only performance where Roussel was present. Davies remained as a guitarist with backing vocals as he had done for so many years in the days of "Cat Stevens", and still performs with Islam as part of his new, tight-knit band. Artwork is credited to "Yoriyos", believed to be Yusuf Islam's son Mohammed Islam, also a musician.

The album features a cover of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood". "Heaven/Where True Love Goes", released as a download-only single, is taken from the last part of the "Foreigner Suite" that appeared on the album Foreigner, with some words changed to fit his new Islamic faith. The album also features a slightly new version of "I Think I See The Light" from "Mona Bone Jakon" [ [http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=321360&ssid=1&sid=ENT Yusuf Islam to release pop album in November] — ANI & Zee News. 9 September 2006]

The full album was first available to hear exclusively in the 'Mes Amis' Members Area of www.yusufislam.com, [ [http://www.yusufislam.com Listen to An Other Cup] YusufIslam.com. 07 November 2006] until it was then released as a CD.

The album debuted at No. 52 on the Billboard 200 and at No. 20 on the United World Chart with 90,000 units sold in its first week of release.

"An Other Cup" was certified platinum in Germany and Gold in the U.K.

Track listing

# "Midday (Avoid City After Dark)" – 4:24
# "Heaven/Where True Love Goes" – 4:49
# "Maybe There's a World" – 3:06
# "One Day at a Time" – 4:54
# "When Butterflies Leave" – 0:41
# "In the End" – 4:02
# "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" – 3:22
# "I Think I See the Light" – 5:34
# "Whispers from a Spiritual Garden" – 2:04
# "The Beloved" – 4:51
# "Greenfields, Golden Sands" – 3:27
# "There Is Peace" – 3:03 (Bonus Track on the UK edition)

:"Source: [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I5X82O/ Amazon.com] ":"Source: [http://yusufislam.com YusufIslam.com] "

:"Source: [http://www.nasheeds.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&products_id=269 Nasheeds.com] "

References

External links

* [http://catstevens.com/ "An Other Cup" official web site]
* [http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/review.cfm?id=1598032006 "Letting the Cat back out"]
* [http://exodus.interoutemediaservices.com/?id=6067ac1b-67e7-4537-b8ea-46f20240e5db&delivery=stream "Heaven/Where True Love Goes" free, legal video-stream]