24 Hours

Tom Jones

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 24, 2008)
• Original Release Date: November 25, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: S-Curve Records
• ASIN: B001G5SDA2
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,032 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Music icon Tom Jones returns with his first album of new material to be released in the United States in over 15 years. "24 Hours" represents another milestone for Tom Jones; from interpreting a classic Bruce Springsteen track (The Hitter) to writing and working alongside the likes of Bono and The Edge (Sugar Daddy).

Utilizing modern day producing maestros, Future Cut (Lily Allen), Tom Jones' "24 Hours" showcases the best of what has made him a legend. From the pulsing first single, If He Should Ever Leave You, to the soaring I'm Alive; from the reflective title track to the emotional depths of The Hitter, Tom Jones delivers one of the most powerful albums of his career.

Having sold over 100 million albums throughout his career and still touring and performing over 200 days out of the year, Tom Jones brings his best to this latest recording and shows why he remains at the top of his craft after 40 years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 29 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

By	write2me (New York) - See all my reviews

"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".

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Album, December 15, 2008

By	fro493 - See all my reviews

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars At 68, Tom puts today's young singers to shame!, June 5, 2009

By	Buddy (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

Tom has a voice and talent that is just second to none. He exudes energy, personality, emotion, and his love of music with every note he sings. This CD has a wide variety of music, and Tom nails every bit of it. He hits you between the eyes with the opener "I'm Alive". You want to dance to the great tune of "Give a Little Love". "In Style and Rhythm" is so catchy and makes you feel good. You can just picture the story of "The Hitter" as you listen, because Tom doesn't just sing the notes, he reaches your soul and takes you through the experience. "Seasons" and "24 Hours" make you feel reflective about your own life. Tom has got to be the most versitile singer on the face of this earth. This CD will blow you away. And here's a message to Simon Cowell...this is the real American Idol. All your winners through the years don't hold a candle to this man who is approx. 3 times their ages. No comparison!