January 21, 2009 23:59

Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton for new Yusuf album

The artist formerly known as Cat Stevens calls in some big guns

Photo Gallery: Paul McCartney
Photo: Pa Photos

Paul McCartney and Dolly Parton have contributed to the forthcoming album from Yusuf, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens.

The renowned singer-songwriter is gearing up to release the as-yet-untitled album in late spring. This will be his first non-religious album in 28 years.

The single 'Boots & Sand' features guest appearances by McCartney and Parton, and the video for the song was shot by Bob Dylan's son, Jesse.

Yusuf explained that he wrote the song after he was denied entry into the US in 2004, due to what was reportedly a case of mistaken identity and heightened security following 9/11. "It's a slight oddity of a song," he told Billboard. "The image I had was kind of a cowboy B-movie made in Italy, but the story came from real events, real people."

Yusuf, who changed his name from Cat Stevens after converting to Islam in 1978, said he decided to scale back the production on the new album.

"After I recorded (my last album) people just wanted to hear me do a lot of simple stuff, just with the guitar," he said.

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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