Cat Stevens - Foreigner

If you need an early example of Cat Stevens's creative and spiritual restlessness, you needn't look further than this 1973 release. Following on the heels of worldwide successes such as Tea for the Tillerman, Mona Bone Jakon, and Teaser and the Firecat, the self-produced Foreigner must have been a jolt to fans of Stevens's melodic, often whimsical folk-pop songs. With a musically ambitious 18-minute title suite that seems more influenced by the ornate prog rock of contemporaries like Yes, Jethro Tull, and ELP, Stevens arguably reached beyond his grasp. Though the hit "The Hurt" hearkens back to earlier works, there's a musical aimlessness (particularly in the melodies) in the remaining three songs that seems very out of character with Stevens's typically incisive lyrics. It's an album of sometimes intriguing fragments that seems to lack the disciplined framework that might have brought them into focus. --Jerry McCulley