Yusuf, formerly known as Cat Stevens, will follow up 2006's "An Other Cup," his first secular album in 28 years, with a set that recalls his straightforward troubadour days.

The as-yet-untitled set is due in late spring from Universal.

"This one was really a result of me writing a lot of songs and being kind of inspired again," Yusuf -- who adopted the Muslim name Yusuf Islam in 1978 and now prefers the shorter version -- told Billboard. "After I recorded ('Cup') people just wanted to hear me do a lot of simple stuff, just with the guitar."

The single "Boots & Sand" features Paul McCartney and Dolly Parton -- with a video shot by Jesse Dylan, son of Bob -- while Michelle Branch and Gunnar Nelson assist on the track "To Be What You Must."

"Boots" was written as a result of 2004 incident in which Yusuf was denied entry into the U.S., apparently as a result of mistaken identity on the post-9/11 "no fly" terrorist watch list. "It's a slight oddity of a song," he said. "The image I had was kind of a cowboy B-movie made in Italy, but the story came from real events, real people."

The new album's stripped-down sound is in contrast to "Cup," which featured tracks with prominent layers. "Perhaps I went to town a little bit with the production on the last album," Yusuf said. "I was just having fun with the new technologies -- we have endless tracks on Pro Tools. You can just flow them out and add and add, and I did."

Yusuf came to Pro Tools digital audio software thanks to his son, who performs under the name Yoriyos and encouraged him to play with recordings and a computer in his home studio in London. "He's got such ears," Yusuf said. "I could understand what he wanted to create -- that journey than the album can take you on."

(China Daily/Agencies January 21, 2009)