Tom Jones – “Spirit in the Room” (2012)
A review of Tom Jones’ brand new album by Daniel Paton, from Music OMH, dated May 24th…
Song selection, say the judges on UK talent show The Voice, is all important. This appears to have been a lesson it has taken Tom Jones, one of these said judges, some time to learn. For every wonderful interpretation (“Kiss”), there has been a “What’s New Pussycat,” successive collaborations with one eye on the marketplace, or some uncomfortable novelty abomination (“Sex Bomb”). For too long, his self-important bellow had two default settings – very loud and unsubtle, and even louder and even less subtle. So 2010’s Praise and Blame came as a quite glorious surprise – an intimate but gritty album of roots music on which Jones’ true abilities came to the fore, along with a new sense of nuance.
Spirit in the Room is a deliberate follow-up aiming to repeat the trick, continuing his fruitful working relationship with producer Ethan Johns. Whilst it lacks some of the fire and brimstone that characterised its predecessor, it’s arguably an even more exposed affair. For much of the album, there is a stark emphasis on acoustic instrumentation – and Jones’ powerful voice is captured dry, without reverb or effects, allowing new levels of empathy and Read the rest of this entry »
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