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22 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
He still has it, but he's looking at the today's pop charts!, November 26, 2008
"24 Hours", his 28th album, is the umpteenth in Jones's attempts to reconnect with musical relevance, and this time the direction came courtesy of his son, who suggested the retro soul vibe of Amy Winehouse might suit his style.
Despite a few covers, the majority of the material on offer is co-written by Jones himself.
"I'm aliiiive," he roars, and this time, for the first time, he has helped to write and choose the songs, too.
His cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells' song is delivered with full-blooded relish. The panoramic backing of horns, strings and garagey guitar is a retooled, though self-conscious throwback to his virile 1960s recordings
While most of it never really breaks out of the kind of lounge soul that made him a star of the Saturday night variety all those years ago, the subject matter is a surprise. Family, friends and past mistakes are all addressed here.
They include brassy belters of the style that Mark Ronson has brought back into fashion, stabs at funk and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's boxing classic, "The Hitter".
It switches between sweaty Sixties R&B workouts and breezy, free-and-easy swingers.
The ballads, however, offer richer pickings.
"24 Hours" is an effective piece of Johnny Cash-lite about a man on death row. The final breaths of this character may close the album, but Jones's belly-deep bellow abides: unfortunately all that gravity is wasted.
"Seasons", a convincing southern soul simmerer looks back over a career filled with many wrong turns.
But the key text here is "The Road", a blue-eyed, melancholy Bacharach-style schmaltzer that pays tribute and apologises to Linda, his long-suffering wife of over 50 years for his extramarital adventures: "I know I caused you pain/Left you shattered on the ground".
The torch blues of "Never" is a high point, but a fine moment is the Bruce Springsteen's moving boxer's memoir "The Hitter".
The cover carries the whiff of a vanity cover. Jones makes the mistake of being a tad portentous in his interpretation of Bruce Springsteen's tale of a broken boxer, but it is hard to grudge him his enjoyment of the interpretation, which is pure Otis Redding pastiche.
Fans of the cheesier Jones will enjoy the loungey bossa nova of "In Style And Rhythm" - "so when you check someone out... don't concentrate on the lips, just keep your eyes on the hips, and if there's plenty of swing, and sure enough there is zing, you gotta do it in style and rhythm" he instructs with alacrity.
A big mistake is "Sugar Daddy". Written by Bono and The Edge, with its nudging, winking, wheezing priapism, it portrays Tom as the worst kind of lecherous old geezer: bumping and grinding in a style most unbecoming of his age.
There is something unconvincing and rather unlikely in "24 Hours", if you just think that the it's aided by Future Cut production team, the duo behind Lily Allen's biggest hits, and most of it aims to compete on the glossy terms of today's charts.
Surely a man of 68, with a magnificent voice, should be making more grown-up and substantial records.
Pick of the Album: "I'm Alive", "Season", "The Hitter" and "Never".
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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fine Album, December 15, 2008
I'm not sure why some reviewers feel it's just a run-of-the-mill pop album, I don't hear it that way at all. It's infused with retro/ classic Tom Jones, sure with modern elements but that's a good thing. It's clear he put a lot of time into making this album, every song has its own feel, they all are good and fresh, his voice is still in top form, and the album sounds better after each listen... it's TJ moving forward as an artist.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Tom Jones Remains True to his Roots, September 19, 2009
Times change - and what goes in and out of style is often very subjective to the period of time we are in. While Tom Jones has always maintained a core legion of fans - if you go back to the late 1970s and early 1980s and mention the name of Tom Jones, you probably would be laughed at. However if you went back to the 1960s, Tom Jones had an extremely devoted following. At the same time, it also seems that Tom Jones has somehow gone through a renaissance in the 2000s. People are now getting into Tom Jones again. It's not like there has been this great 1960s cultural renewal - it's just that Tom Jones music is suddenly come in today. Although this is a shot in the dark, one reason why I think that there is renewed interest in Tom Jones is because of the success that the "Austin Powers" movies had. Whatever it is, when I hear the sounds and music of Austin Powers - it immediately reminds me of Tom's music. I can honestly say that picture got me into Tom's music and thus I was inclined to explore his 2008 release "24 Hours". Now I'm not comparing this collection to Austin Powers music. This sound is much more mature. It also proves that Tom is still a force in the music scene.
I think there are several reasons for why Tom Jones can still have appeal in the 21st century. The main reason is Tom's unique baritone voice. Tom's vocals are some of the strongest in the music business. Whether its pop, dance - or even country and techno, Tom has always found the ability to adapt his style to many different music variants. Tom's music also has some very interesting sounds. Finally, I think Tom's strength as a live performer has really helped to solidify his appeal. Tom's somewhat gregarious style on stage has made him one of the most frequent recipients of women's undergarments on stage - even today. I feel many of these traits are present on the "24 Hours" collection.
Here is a track by track synopsis:
"I'm Alive": This is a great opening track. Good mix of horns in this song. This song showcases the gregarious style of Tom through some powerful vocals.
"If He Should Ever Leave You": This is another great track. This track will have appeal, as it will showcase the retro-style music and vocals that built Tom's reputation. The song sounds like something out of the mid 1970s.
"We Got Love": Like the previous track, this song also has a retro feel. This song has a slower tempo to it. There are good use of keyboards really help contribute to this being a good track.
"Give a Little Love": This song continues the retro-feel theme heard across this collection. This time it is the horns section once again playing a role. The hook into the chorus seems a little forced, but still this is a track that grew on me.
"The Road": This song has more of a retro R&B feel to it. This song really showcases Tom's vocals and they are going to be the dominant story of this particular track.
"In Style and Rhythm": Some interesting synth sounds play a key role on this track. Despite some of the programming into the synth sound, this track still keeps true to Tom's retro roots. This is another track that grew on me.
"Sugar Daddy": This song sounds like a Tom Jones track both lyrically (from the title) and from the music. However the big surprise is that U2's Bono and the Edge wrote this track.
"Seasons": This song is a slower R&B styled track. Although this had some good vocals by Tom, this was one of the weaker tracks of this particular collection.
"Never": The melody of this song almost has a haunting mantra-like feel on top of the retro-styled sounds. Tom's vocals layer on top of this melody perfectly - and get some good help from some background vocals.
"The Hitter": This is a Bruce Springsteen song from his "Devil's and Dust" album. The song is the story of a boxer who fights in and out of the ring. While Springsteen's has more of a Folk feel to it, Tom uses his retro style music to tell this story. I like Tom's version better.
"Seen that Face": Another slower R&B styled track. Like "Seasons", good vocals but one of the weaker tracks.
"24 Hours": This is highlighted with a military-styled drum. It is another slower track highlighted by Tom's vocals. The drumming adds to the haunting element of this track.
"More than Memories": The opening melody reminded me of a bit of a Chicago (band) song. This song is highlighted by some piano work and accompanying horns. Not quite the retro sound, but still a good track.
The liner notes include a list of the songwriting and musician credits. Overall, I was disappointed that the lyrics were not included here. While the retro-styled material remains true to Tom Jones' roots, for the most part it isn't going to be the same old stuff either. This is one album I would recommend.
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