Yusuf / Cat Stevens Preps New Album ‘King Of A Land,’ Shares Entrancing Lead Single

Yusuf / Cat Stevens will issue a new album, King Of A Land, on June 16 via BMG and George Harrison’s Dark Horse Records. The legendary singer-songwriter also shared the lead single, “Take The World Apart.”

King Of A Land is Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ 17th studio album. It’s also his first LP with new original music since 2017’s The Laughing Apple and first album of all new original music since 2009’s Roadsinger.

“Looking at the jagged journey of my music, beginning as I did in the 60’s, I would say this new record is a mosaic,” Yusuf said of King Of A Land. “A very clearly defined description of where I’ve been and who I am.”

Twelve years in the making, Yusuf / Cat Stevens began his King Of A Land journey in his “Dubville” home studio in Dubai.

“Most of the songs started with me playing and recording everything at home in the garage,” the singer-songwriter said. “It’s as close as you can get to being inside my head.”

Longtime Yusuf / Cat Stevens collaborator and ex-Yardbird Paul Samwell-Smith produced King Of A Land. Yusuf and Samwell-Smith assembled an ace band for the sessions including bassist Bruce Lynch (who first worked with Yusuf on 1974’s Buddha and the Chocolate Box), keyboardist Peter Vettese (Jethro Tull, Bee Gees, Simple Minds) and legendary session drummer Russ Kunkel (Joni Mitchell, Carole King, James Taylor, CSN&Y). Additionally, the album contains contributions from frequent Yusuf / Cat Stevens collaborators Kwame Yeboah and Eric Appapoulay.

Sessions for King Of A Land also took place at at Berlin’s Hansa Studios (where famed albums like David Bowie’s Low, Heroes and U2’s Achtung Baby were captured), ICP Studios in Brussels and La Fabrique in Provence, France as well as at Air and Angel studios in London. The final mixdown went down at George Harrison’s private studio in his former home, Friar Park.

“We were very privileged to be in Friar Park,” Yusuf said, “and to be one of the first outsiders to enter that control room and mix an album. George Harrison has been an immense influence on me spiritually, from the very beginning.” Yusuf recently shared a cover of George’s iconic “Here Comes The Sun.”

Yusuf / Cat Stevens previewed King Of A Land with the single, “Take The World Apart.” “Sometimes you have to take something apart, to find the peace you’re looking for,” Yusuf said of the new song.

“Take The World Apart” arrived with an animated lyric video featuring artwork from previous Yusuf collaborator and award-winning Canadian illustrator Peter Reynolds, who helmed the artwork for the entire album. Watch the lyric video for “Take The World Apart” below:

King Of A Land Tracklist:

1. Train on a Hill
2. King of a Land
3. Pagan Run
4. He is True
5. All Nights, All Days
6. Another Night in the Rain
7. Things.
8. Son of Mary
9. Highness
10. The Boy Who Knew How to Climb Walls
11. How Good it Feels
12. Take The World Apart