The LA Times music blog Pop & Hiss has a brief article on Yusuf’s recent activities here in Los Angeles. He’s working on a follow-up to his last album An Other Cup. The author got a sample of some of the new songs, one of which is a song called “Boots ‘n’ Sand.”
Among them is one tentatively titled “Boots ‘n’ Sand,” a fairly lighthearted take on what certainly wasn’t a lighthearted incident, when Islam was refused entry to the U.S. in 2004 in the wake of heightened security worries after 9/11.
You may recall that he was stopped at the airport and then sent home to England—an incident that turned out to be a case of mistaken identity because his name was similar to one on the FBI’s list of suspected terrorists. “They kept asking ‘Are you sure your name isn’t spelled Y-O-U-S-U-F?”
Part of the song lyrics are quoted:
As we reached the border
Seven sheriffs arrived
Me and my gal saddled outsideSheriffs: “Is your name this?”
Him: “I guess it is.”
Sheriffs: “You’re on our ‘no song’ list.”
Him: “Oh no sir, no. This can’t be so!”
The album will feature appearances by Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton and Alison Krauss.
I really looking forward to the new album .Regine
[...] Lyrics from the song were recently posted on the LA Times music blog. Check out the post at YusufIslam.com for a great banner image that previews the song. It describes it as “the ballad of a wandering star who journeyed west… and the 7 sheriffs that couldn’t spell”. The image includes an Old West style Wanted poster of Yusuf in his Cat Stevens days. He is described as “The infamous outlaw and his band who rode the Peace Train, singing, without buying a ticket to ride”. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Music Video/Single Title by Artist Name [Sample BF Music Video/Single Review]Educate yourself before judgmentRobyn – Dream On (Music video)David Cooks “Light On” Music Video — Love It or Leave It? [...]