Tom Jones: 24 Hours
Tom Jones writes the songs on 24 Hours
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Monday, 17, Nov 2008 04:33
Parlophone, out now.
In a nutshell...
Worrying. Upbeat. Creepy. Horns. Beats.
What's it all about?
Tom Jones latest offering, heavily pushed on the fact he has had a hand in the song writing for the first time. So have Bono and The Edge from U2. Try to contain your excitement.
Who's it by?
It's Tom Jones. That guy no one seems to like, or fancy, yet sells loads of records and gets undercrackers lobbed at him every time his saggy body hits the stage.
As an example...
"These are the seasons of my life"
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
He'll go to the Grammys. People like Jones always do. (Will he win anything though? - Entertainment Editor)
What the others say
"Jones's belly-deep bellow abides" - Guardian
"24 Hours signals an important development." - Times
So is it any good?
"I'M ALIVE!" Jones bellows like Frankenstein's Monster as we launch into the latest attempt by Tom Jones to get sex from women a third of his age. Not since the opening organ sounds of Toploader's Dancing In The Moonlight has the music listening public shuddered as one. It's a truly terrifying moment, and one that in many countries would be illegal. It also dispels all talk of Jones 'doing a Johnny Cash', and confirms business as very much as usual in the Jones camp, aside from the fact Mr.Walnut Features has been given a Mark Ronson album for his birthday.
Horns parp away throughout, laying solid foundations for Jones to plonk his manly tones down on, lyrics stay largely unaffecting and obvious, and boundaries are left proudly unbroken.
While in many eyes this would be seen as a bad thing, in Jones fan circles, it must seem a positive. After the dismal lows of something like Sex Bomb, his fans would be happy if the man released a disc of the sounds of him disembowelling a sheep.
To give 24 Hours its due, in terms of Tom Jones records, this must represent a high. It's not (too) embarrassing, and offers a couple of moments that shine through the glossed production, notably Seasons' mournful, sombre tone, and his cover of Springsteen's The Hitter.
A hard album to truly dislike, but certainly not one that would see you leaving the man alone in a room with your sister.
6/10
Tom Williams