My Amazon Reviews: Yusuf/Cat Stevens "Roadsinger"

All Kinds of Roses Grow 

4 out of 5 Stars

The warmth that has always been a hallmark of Cat Stevens/Yusuf still permeates his work, and "Roadsinger" is no exception. His second album since returning to public performing (after the excellent An Other Cup)is a song cycle about love and the passage of time. His gentle melodies and warm voice are as delightful as ever, even if Yusuf's voice is not as supple as it used to be. His heart, however, is still in the same place as the man who gave us Teaser and the Firecat. He's found his spiritual place, which comes out in almost every song.

While his older work was about the search, which also gave those songs their sense of urgency, the songs on "Roadsinger" are a bit more on the, found but now asking why vein. The title track tells the tale of a lone wandering singer who is met with fear by the adults he meets in his travels, but trust and acceptance by the children. "All Kinds of Roses" (my personal fave on this CD) expands on the multi-cultural horizons that expand simply from the view of his garden. These are the best two songs on "Roadsinger."

Like on "An Other Cup," Yusuf also glances back at his past on "Roadsinger." He took the themes of Foreigner on "Cup," and you'll hear the piano motif from his single "Sitting" in "Be What You Must." Yusuf/Stevens has come to terms with his past and present, and "Roadsinger" finds him again melding those two time-lines together with a pleasing ease.