Tom Jones - Praise & Blame
Island records allegedly had a bit of a hissy fit when they heard this album. Claiming no one would want to buy it and that gospel music was outdated and it would be more at home being played in a church.
Then lo and behold the critics and the wider public gave it a big thumbs up and they had to eat their words.
Sounds fishy to me though.
If they thought it was that crap then the master tapes would be gathering dust somewhere deep in the bowels of some Island owned warehouse.
That they aren't and the CD is on the shelves tells me that their ire was nothing more that a publicity exercise. None the less it succeeded in drawing peoples attention to the release and it's selling very well indeed.
Forgive my pessimism though, but while I think this is a very good album I don't see how it is any different in concept from what Tom Jones has done in the last few decades.
All the hullabaloo is bollocks really.
He's previously done a bit of rap, (Badly). He's collaborated with the latest hit makers (Hit and Miss) and generally jumped on whatever bandwagon that was passing at the time.
So on this outing it looks like they have simply looked at how Rubin revived the career of Johnny Cash and others, thought "Tom could do that" and jumped in with both feet.
That they hit the bullseye square on with it is neither hear nor there. Just blind luck.
So while I'm quite taken by the album - and have been playing it pretty much non stop since I got it - I'm still finding the publicity surrounding it leaving a bad taste in my mouth and it's partially getting in the way of my enjoyment of it.
The album is strong enough to stand alone without all the crap that has come with it and Island records should have had an ad campaign that reflected the low key sparseness of the music itself.
I suppose all this is a minor grumble though.
If I leave the criticism of the marketing at the door and ignore how I believe the album came about to just concentrate on the music, then at the crux of this release is Tom impressively belting out some gospel rock thats rooted in the blues. A style of music that perfectly fits his voice.
The musicianship itself is excellent, sparse in the main, but when it does kick in reminds me of Jack White going on a Zeppelin trip a bit. It gives the whole project a solid skeleton to hang the flesh on.
So if Rubin's work with Cash impressed then it would be worth investing in a copy of this as it is most definitely in the same ball park.
As this has been such a success I can see Tom and his label sticking with the formula for a while, or at least until it runs out of steam.
Then they will look for something else and he can whore his vocals on a drum and bass track backed with pan pipes if that's the latest thing at the time.
Meanwhile we can live with this quite easily.

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O BAILAN TODOS, O NO BAILA NADIE
I don't know. You fist one midget and no one will let you forget it.

I ahven't heard this so I can't really commented and have never really been a fan of Mr Jones....mind you I saw him on the telly from the 60s a while back with his "beat group" and liked that though

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"Its a mobile phone not a megaphone, there's no need to shout into the bloody thing"

Have a look at this Ian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxHjNJGrUBQ

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O BAILAN TODOS, O NO BAILA NADIE
I don't know. You fist one midget and no one will let you forget it.

Thanks mate, I'm still a bit undecided about it to be truthful

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"Its a mobile phone not a megaphone, there's no need to shout into the bloody thing"

Kel said the same, but by the time the CD had played in its entirety she had changed her mind.

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O BAILAN TODOS, O NO BAILA NADIE
I don't know. You fist one midget and no one will let you forget it.

Still haven't heard all of it but I'm pretty unmoved to be honest El D. I like TJ a lot, - Live at the Talk of Town era particularly- best Land of a 1000 Dances ever on that LP ( which I heard thanks to my late father in law) - but the Johnny Cash comparison just doesnt sit right. Tom is genuinely into what he's doing and the hype is bullshit, but its a bit two well-mannered and lacking in gritty intensity for my personal taste. I will persist with it for a bit though.

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looked in the mirror, thought who's that f ucking freak

Interesting but not totally convincing as far as I'm concerned.
Song lacks variation for starters.
Tom looks good though: like a Mozes that just got rid of his beard.....
Or maybe Redd Foxx?
http://www.ukuleleman.net/uploaded_imag ... 757083.jpg

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...but Jesus wouldn't like it - No

I'm not sure what you mean about the J Cash comparison not sitting right. It's said in the context of the work that he did with R Rubin. Not as a Cash soundalike.
To my ears this album could have came straight out of an American recording to me.

I'm sure Tom is genuinely into the material though. It's suits him far better and he can really get his teeth into it, but there has been much said about the gospel aspect and his roots in Wales and how that shines through.
Personally I don't think that when Tom sang in the choir in the valleys that this was the material he was singing. The whole album is entrenched in americana/blues and has hee haw to do with the valleys. So the hype is complete and utter BS.

Like you I also like Tom Jones, but he is of an era that promoted singers who had a vocal identity, but were also encouraged by labels to sing what was put in front of them.
Tom still does this I think.
A quick perusal of his back catalogue shows that no matter what, or how ludicrous the idea, that is touted he is up for giving it a shot, and he always gives it his best shot.
It leaves me wondering who Tom Jones actually is as an artist. Is he just a conduit for the material?
The current songs, to me, are the most suitable to his voice that he has done in a long time, and for all I know he is genuinely inspired by it, but there will always be that sneaking doubt that he is just a successful performing monkey, albiet a performing monkey with a great voice, and this album has just come along at the right time.
I bet the next one is more of the same.

I'll just add that the first song on the album is a poor choice of opener and doesn't set the listener up well for what follows.

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O BAILAN TODOS, O NO BAILA NADIE
I don't know. You fist one midget and no one will let you forget it.

More Redd Foxx.

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O BAILAN TODOS, O NO BAILA NADIE
I don't know. You fist one midget and no one will let you forget it.