Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings today announced that Yusuf / Cat Stevens has joined the label’s storied musical family. Also announced is his first new studio album in five years, entitled Tell ‘Em I’m Gone, out on 27 October.

yusef

Photo:Danny Clinch

Recorded across the globe, including Los Angeles, Dubai, Brussels, and London, the album features 10 brand-new studio recordings, including five original tracks and five carefully-chosen cover songs. Tell ’Em I’m Gone features musical contributions from Richard Thompson, blues harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite, singer-songwriter Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Tuareg group Tinariwen, and guitarist Matt Sweeney. The album was produced by Yusuf and Rick Rubin and was mixed by Yusuf and Paul Samwell-Smith.

Yusuf / Cat Stevens also announced that he will embark on a European and North American tour, giving fans in select cities the opportunity to hear his remarkable catalogue and superb new songs live, many for the first time. The European leg of the Peace Train…Late Again starts in London on 4 November and will continue onto 7 other cities.

The Peace Train…Late Again European dates are:

4 November London, UK – Eventim Apollo

9 November Brussels, Belgium – Forest National

11 November Milan, Italy – Mediolanum Forum

13 November Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle

16 November Paris, France – Zenith

20 November Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom

23 November Hamburg, Germany – CCH 1

25 November Dusseldorf, Germany – Mitsubishi Electric Hall

To celebrate the launch of the new album, Yusuf/Cat Stevens will return to the UK to perform at the London Eventim Apollo on Tuesday 4th November 2014.

Only fans pre-ordering the album (on any format) here http://smarturl.it/Yusuf_store before 6pm GMT on Tuesday 16th September 2014, will receive a unique pin code to access an exclusive Ticketmaster fan pre-sale from 9am GMT on Wednesday 17th September. Emails with pre-sale link and unique code will be sent out to eligible customers at 11pm GMT on Tuesday 16th September ready for Wednesday morning’s pre-sale.

Tell 'Em I'm Gone is also available to pre-order here;  Amazon pre-order iTunes pre-order

“Although I was to venture through many lyrical terrains, melodious valleys and cadences during my fifty-year musical and spiritual exploration, and though many would agree that I have covered a lot of ground, there was always one path I meant to take. Hidden in the background behind my renowned troubadour persona lurked an R&B alter-self waiting to be let free,” Yusuf says of the new album. “What’s powerful and profound, to me, is the overall message which emerged, lyrically. It suddenly stared me in the face: the innate struggle for Freedom! Isn’t that what most human beings dream of? Music and the Blues particularly was a means of escape for many chained to the destiny of the rich and powerful.”

"Yusuf continues to make music that resonates in its beauty and universally empowering themes,” says Adam Block, President, Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings. “It's both humbling and thrilling to be given the opportunity to have him become a member of the Legacy family. We look forward to working together to create new platforms for Yusuf's future recordings while celebrating his remarkable career with stories we'll tell from the artist's personal archive.”