For Music and Beard Afficionados

Cat Stevens/Steven Georgiou/Yusuf Islam was on the Colbert Report last night and performed an amazing rendition of his new song Roadsinger. I listened to Cat when I was younger, and had great appreciation for his gravelly yet melodic vocals...he was like Mark Knopfler, but his range exceeded Mark's three notes. The next time I heard of him, I was told he was an Islamic extremist with an agenda of hatred. Now he's back, and seems surprisingly peaceful. Importantly he hasn't lost the old touch, or the beard.

As soon as I had heard his song, I wandered excitedly onto the internet to find a pirated version I could appropriate. I got what I deserved, however. The actual record was nowhere near as good as his performance. It seemed like a rush job, which is understandable given the rest of Yusuf's commitments. But if he had the time to practice for Steven's show, it seems like something he would have had ample opportunity to do while recording.

Listen to me castigate Yusuf Stevens for hasty recording when my own music sounds like its coming through a toilet bowl. The Hypocrisy! In my defence, I just have greater expectations from Cat Islam than I do from myself, which is perfectly in line with my general defeatist attitude. Anyway, if you haven't done so already, watch the video...its a beautifully naive little song.

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/227675/may-14-2009/yusuf---roadsinger