Now Yusuf rides the inner-peace train

Cat Stevens, one of the superstars of the sensitive singer-songwriter movement, experienced a spiritual epiphany some three decades ago that led him to turn his back on rock 'n' roll and embark on one of the most radical personal reinventions in recent pop music history. He reemerged as a devout Muslim who called himself Yusuf Islam and went a couple of decades without so much as touching a guitar.

In recent years, the creator of such deeply felt pop hits as "Peace Train" and "Oh Very Young" has been finding his way back into the wild world he left behind. These days, he has a new vision and understanding of his place in that arena, though his voice and his musical philosophy remain very much the same.

The songs on his new album, "Roadsinger," which he's releasing Tuesday under the single name Yusuf, are as spiritually attuned as old Cat Stevens songs such as "I Think I See the Light," "On the Road to Find Out," "Miles From Nowhere," "Home in the Sky" and "But I Might Die Tonight." Anyone listening closely back then might have anticipated that the musician's inner quest would lead to some kind of transformation.

"I left a lot of clues, but I didn't make them totally obvious," Yusuf, 61, said in his backstage dressing room on a recent visit to Hollywood to tape an episode of the new "Chris Isaak Hour" for the Biography channel. "There are subtleties to life, and not everybody picks up the subtleties."

Many fans were confused by his decision to give up music; some were outright angry. "I'm still not sure that everybody gets it," he said. "Some do, and that's fine."

A working-class accent born of his upbringing in London's East End as the son of a Greek restaurateur contrasts with the ever-so-genteel singing voice that's still reassuring, although it's grown a bit deeper, a bit duskier than it sounded three decades ago. Also gone are the raven curls that flowed to his shoulders, and the close-cropped beard and mustache, replaced by inch-long salt-and-pepper hair and the long beard Muslim men traditionally wear.

His return to music-making has unfolded in accordance with his ongoing study of the Koran. Initially, he was unsure what role music played for Muslims, so he simply gave it up. But as his understanding grew, he discovered that an early form of guitar existed in the Islamic world. Several years ago, his son brought home a guitar and Yusuf heard the call of an old friend.