YusufCat Stevens- King Of A Land (CD)

King of a Land is an epic body of work. More than a decade in the making, it’s 12 new songs are full of extraordinary surprises. Unique and transportive, Yusuf’s music, words and melodies paint a vivid picture of a world which embraces the lost lands of truisms and stainless youth, and brings it into touching distance. His poetical storytelling invites the listener on a journey towards the gates of an alternative universe to that which we presently inhabit – where happy endings can possibly happen. From the gloriously unexpected hard-rock intensity of ‘Pagan Run’ to the Tchaikovsky-inspired orchestration on ‘How Good It Feels’, the delicate acoustic balladry of ‘He Is True’ through to the driving Phil Spector-goes-gospel vibe of ‘Highness’, the Travelling Wilburys-styled rolling Americana groove of ‘All Nights, All Days’, and the ornate, atmospheric ‘Son Of Mary’, ‘King of a Land’ is an epic body of work. The album’s artwork was created by Peter H Reynolds, the award-winning children’s illustrator. As well as the cover art, Peter has created illustrations for each of the songs portraying the album’s lyrical themes that feature in a 36 page accompanying CD booklet.