Album Review: Tom Jones – Surrounded By Time (EMI)

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One thing to be said about Surrounded By Time…this is not your mother’s (or grandmother’s) Tom Jones album.

At age 80, Tom Jones has earned the right to do whatever he wants musically. And that’s just what it sounds like he has done here.

First off, that golden voice sounds completely intact. But what also is intact is Jones’ sense of adventure. He has once more employed Ethan Johns (Laura Marling, Paul McCartney, Kaiser Chiefs) as producer and the two of them have concocted an album that is both reassuring and unsettling.

A quick glance at the track list and one might expect just a rehash/update of old favourites as The Windmills Of Your Mind is track two.

But further examination finds compositions by the likes of Michael Kiwanuka, Tony Joe White, Terry Callier and a certain Mr. Dylan who has also just turned the big 8-0.

In fact, it was Dylan’s One More Cup Of Coffee that drew me to this album.  I wanted to hear how such a distinctive song stylist such as Tom Jones would approach such as personal song at this beauty from Desire.

As it turns out, he handles it very well, thank you. Ethan Johns’ production, including various synths and guitars create unique bedrock for Jones’ unmistakable voice.  I won’t say that it beats the original, but I like it.

Another sonic surprise is Malvina Reynolds’ No Hole In My Head, complete with sitar, tabla tamboura and a droning moog. Again,this may not rival Delilah for best TJ track ever (I found the percussion a bit much), but I gotta admire his effort.

Speaking of Delilah, there is a tune titled Samson And Delilah composed by Ethan Johns, Mark Woodward and Tom Jones himself.  This one actually rocks, with a bit of gospel thrown in.

If there is an overarching theme to the album, it is aging. Bobby Cole’s 1940’s jazz standard I’m Growing Old gets a beautiful reading…just voice and piano and loops.

Other highlights include Todd Snider’s Talking Reality Television Blues (Tom gets political), Michael Scott’s This Is The Sea (smouldering soul/gospel) and the aforementioned Windmills Of Your Mind.

The one track that didn’t make it for me was Popstar, an old Cat Stevens number that just doesn’t seem to work here.

The final track is Terry Callier’s Lazarus Man, a nine-minute epic spoken word/poem thingy backed with loops, guiro and Rhodes. Again the voice in familiar, but the setting is alien, leaving the listener with a slightly uneasy feeling.

What’s new pussycat?

Find out here.

Marty Duda

Marty Duda
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