Without You (Sami Yusuf album)
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| Without You | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
_Album_Cover.jpg) | ||||
| Demo album / Leaked album by | ||||
| Released | 17 January 2009 | |||
| Genre | Spiritique | |||
| Length | 37:44 | |||
| Label | Awakening | |||
| Sami Yusuf chronology | ||||
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Without You is the third album by British singer-songwriter Sami Yusuf, released in London on 17 January 2009, following the release of his first chart-topping albums Al-Mu'allim and My Ummah.
Controversy
Sami Yusuf claimed that this album was released without his prior "blessings nor consent." He stated: "I therefore wish to make it perfectly clear that an album comprised of any such recordings could only be put on to the market against my wishes and without my approval."[1] Yusuf subsequently stated on his website that the album was released without his knowledge or consent, and is a compilation of demos and sketches with a quality inferior to his standards. He has called for fans to boycott it.[1][2] However, as of April 2009, Awakening Records continues to feature the album prominently on the Sami Yusuf part of its website,[3] saying that the album is "a complete and high quality album" consisting of "11 professionally recorded tracks", and that "Sami Yusuf is signed exclusively to Awakening Records for five albums."[4] The contractual dispute lasting from 2008 to 2009 lead to Yusuf legally separating from Awakening Records, completely disowning this album, and claiming that Wherever You Are released with ETM International is his real third album.
Re-release alterations
Yusuf has edited many of the tracks on this album and re-released them on his latter albums that have been released under his current record label ETM International, this includes the tracks, "Without You" and "He Is There", the latter being relabeled as "In Every Tear, He Is There" for the album Wherever You Are. Also, tracks such as "Sallou" (relabeled as "It's a Game") and "Never Never" (relabeled as "All I Need") were also altered and re-released on the album Salaam. "Forever Palestine" was edited and released as a free download on Yusuf's official website when this album was released in 2009.
References
- ^ a b Yusuf, Sami (11 February 2009). "Boycott the Fake Album "Without You"". Sami Yusuf Official.com. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
- ^ "Sami Yusuf: "Awakening Records have released what they claim to be my third album"". Mujahideen Ryder. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
- ^ "Sami Yusuf". Awakening Records. Retrieved 28 September 2013.
- ^ "Without You Album Release and Awakening Records". Awakening Records Press Releases. Awakening Records. 19 January 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2013.