Sir Tom In the News, What's New, Pussycat?
Here’s our news page. This is the place for articles and, we pledge, we’ll try not to post the stupid stuff we all run across once in awhile.
Interview: Tom’s New CD! He Covers Springsteen, Shondells & There’s One Song Written For Him By Bono & The Edge
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008Oops! We forgot and we knew this: Rolling Stone noted on September 17 that: “24 Hours features U2’s Bono and the Edge guesting on Jones’ Sugar Daddy.” This is the song they wrote for Tom and to have them actually back him will bring a whole new audience to the project. It’s great news. You can catch some video of the story here
Tom’s official website still lists different release date and the name of the CD seems to have been changed, but the publicity is great and we’re thrilled that it’s starting a month out. This Associated Press story is everywhere we look.
As for the “15 years” stuff, just remember, Reloaded and Mr. Jones weren’t released here. Like them, The Lead was released only as an import (we think) and stuff like Reloaded were mostly remasters of old songs. And he’s right, but we think he understates the issue when he calls the failure to release Reload “a shame.” We think it was malpractice on someone’s part….maybe the record company’s.
This time, Tom’s covering a fabulous Springsteen song from the acoustic album, Devils and Dust — an unusual tune for him that we cannot wait to hear him do— and included is the song Bono and The Edge wrote for Mr. Jones that wasn’t used.
So, yes, there’s been nothing new here in years and we’re so happy there is now. Aren’t you? And, for the record, he’s right, he’s a “goodie.”
Tom Jones to release 1st album in US in 15 years
By JAKE COYLE/AP Entertainment Writer/Sept. 16, 2008
NEW YORK (AP) — After 15 years without a new album in the U.S., Tom Jones will release a disc of almost entirely original material this fall.
The 68-year-old singer will release 24 Hours on Nov. 25 on S-Curve Records. It’s a retro-tinged album much in the style of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black that finds the Welshman’s voice as strong as ever.
“The fire is still in me,” Jones told The Associated Press in a recent interview, speaking by phone from his home in Los Angeles. “Not to be an oldie, but a goodie. I want to be a contender.”
The disc was produced by British production duo Future Cat, who have cut tracks for Lily Allen, Kate Nash and others. With backing horns and an almost Stax Records kind of soul, the sound is distinctly retro.
“We’ve been thinking about this for a while, doing a retro sound but new,” said Jones. “And Amy Winehouse, she cracked it. When that album came out, my son called me right away and said, `You know what we’ve been talking about? Listen to this.’”
Since he released the hit It’s Not Unusual in 1965, Jones has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. While his 2000 album Reload was a hit in Europe and elsewhere (buoyed by the club hit Sex Bomb), it was never released in the U.S. — which Jones calls “a shame.”
“The hits that I’ve had recently have all been European,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of success worldwide, which is a pain because I live here and I do most of my shows in America. … Hopefully this will straighten that out.”
Jones, who regularly performs in Las Vegas, believes his voice hasn’t aged - thanks partly to his careful treatment of it; he takes a humidifier with him traveling to keep his throat from drying. Jones even believes his lower registers have gotten richer.
“I wanted my voice to sound as natural as possible,” Jones said of the album. “The arrangements and the production needs to be modern, but the vocal needs to sound like me.”
There are two covers on the album - Bruce Springsteen’s The Hitter and I’m Alive by Tommy James and the Shondells - but the rest Jones either co-wrote or collaborated with the songwriters. Bono and the Edge of U2 guest on the song “Sugar Daddy.”
“I love doing the songs that I’ve had success with and the audience keeps those alive,” Jones said. “But I love moving on.”
September 16th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
“24 Hours” - “Gemini”??? this is getting exciting now
but i really don’t care how it’s called as long he covers Bruce Springsteen and TOM will be my “Sugar Daddy” forever - you go TOM - I hope this new album hits the charts to the top 
September 16th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
but I must admit that “24 hours” would be the better title - my opinion of course
September 16th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
There is definitely an element of excitement to this impending release. I hope that it’s a winner here in the U.S., not only for Tom but for his legion of loyal fans and others who appreciate and respect his talent. For the record, The Lead and How To Swing It was a U.S. release on the Interscope label in October 1994.
September 16th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Thanks, Jim.
September 16th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I don’t care what it is called. I just can’t wait to hear it. Hope it is still being released on Oct.,21st as it states on Tom’s website. I don’t think I can wait till Nov. I have seats to see TJ in Atlantic City on Nov.,28th and I can’t wait. My daughters and I have been fans since the sixties and we are all just so excited about the new record and seeing him again in concert. GO TOM!!!YOU ARE STILL THE BEST EVER!!!
September 16th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Ok, I will never find a date to listen to this new CD with me on Thanksgiving Weekend. This is highly problematic. Anyone interested in joining me for champagne and a repeated listening of THE CD of the past 15 years, please ask Ellen for my email address and we can try to arrange for a party.
As previously stated, don’t attempt to listen to this for the first time while driving…
September 17th, 2008 at 2:09 am
This sounds so exciting I can,t wait.I have a feeling it is going to do well!
September 17th, 2008 at 6:59 am
I am not sure about this so don’t hate me if I am wrong, but I thought the song by Bono was written for the follow up CD he recorded for GUT RECORDS that was never released but nonetheless i am so excited about this CD he has done 2 studio alblums here that the record labels had no clue on how to promote Move Closer that came out on Jive to promote Kiss here a great listen by the way if you get the chance and The Lead And How To Swing It for some reason the 2 labels had great Cd’s but had no clue on how to get a hit out of them
September 17th, 2008 at 7:35 am
Ed: Could be. But somewhere the stuff about Mr. Jones was listed. Someone we know knows Bono and she said when he tours again, she’ll ask. Doesn’t matter, though. We certainly can be wrong and the point is that there’s a new CD that will actually get released in the USA. Yes!
September 17th, 2008 at 8:10 am
I also can’t wait for the release. I think he should call the album 24/7 since that is how much I will be listening to it when it comes out. Keep sending us the great updated news.
September 17th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Wow this is even more promising with Bono and Edge actually on the song,I am trulu excited about this release it is like waiting for the next new Tom Jones alblum back in my teen days Luv the Buzz about the new CD
September 17th, 2008 at 9:47 am
How great it is to see three Google alerts today about Tom’s upcoming album, and to the moderators for keeping us up on the exciting news. The publicity is wonderful, and hope it continues so everyone is aware of this and will go out and buy it. I am waiting in great anticipation to hear what is on it. And is that a fact that Tom co-wrote part of the songs???
September 17th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Marian: He is getting credit as he did on the Jools Holland CD. Since ASCAP or BMI (songwriters guilds) or whomever must have rules about credit, we have to go with the fact that he did.
September 17th, 2008 at 10:46 am
This is big, really big!! I hope this CD gets a lot of radio play. With out a doubt this CD will bring a new audience on board. Many of the younger people that are accustomed to male singers with weak, whining, adolescent voices will behold the thundering power of Sir Tom Jones.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Yes it’s great that the exciting days are here again and Tom is releasing a new album. The news from AP have been in the media here in Finland too today. It’s just stupid that they never check the facts properly. First of all they are reporting that Tom is having a new album out for the first time in fifteen years, which is true in the US but not here. Then secondly they had the Future Cut’s name wrong as they had in the original AP post too. Tom had the Realoaded disc out there in the US in 2004 and what I understood was that he did quite good promotion for it there. Tom was in the Good morning America and did also Conan and Jay Leno. Still the CD was number 127 on the highest in the US charts (correct me if I’m wrong). Ofcourse it’s different this time as it’s all new material and there will quite likely be a single release from it that’s promoted too. We will see what’s going to happen with it, I hope all the best for the project and will be following it with a lot of interest. Tom surely deserves a proper recognition with his new album all over the world.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:50 am
This is GREAT news as it gives me something to look forward to after dealing with Hurricane Ike and all he left behind for us to remember him by! Let’s hope we in the States will see him promoting the CD on as many TV shows as possible! Thanks to the moderators and the website for continually keeping us all in the loop!
September 17th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Mike: Reloaded was mostly a rehash of hits remastered and a couple of tracks from Mr. Jones and Reload. He did some promotion, but it was barely a blip on the radar of anyone but the most ardent fans. We think — thankfully — that this is an attempt to have lightening strike in the US as it did with Reload in the UK and Europe. We say that’s great and it’s about time. But the article does have the release date wrong, as far as we know. Don’t know where they found that. If it’s right, guess we’ll see.
September 17th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Fabulous news!!! I’m so antsy to get a hold of that CD whatever it is called. Any advanced word on where and when we can order it?
September 17th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
This is great news!, hope the cd wil get lots of attention, and sells! i’m sure it will, amy winhouse, duffy and others are succesfull with the retro sounds. And Bono, The Edge and Bruce?, couldn’t be better! qoute from Bono “When tom was on tv, it chanced the temperature of the room” (age 8 at the time), it made a big impression on him back than, i heard him say this in a rolling stone interview. Anyway we are buying it no doubt.
September 17th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
The anticipation is killing me! I can’t wait to hear how Sir Tom puts his own special style on Springsteen’s “The Hitter.” Hopefully we will see Sir Tom perform some of these songs on TV as part of the promotion for the CD - and wouldn’t it be great if Bono showed up to sing his part too! I am getting more optimistic about S-Curve and EMI’s handling of this new CD because of the great press Tom got today - hope they keep up the good work.
September 17th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
do you think that tom will be on shows like letterman, leno, etc, promoting his new cd?
September 17th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Jared: Yes, he told some friends he plans on doing all of them — even Rachel Ray…so look for it. We’d love to see him on Craig Ferguson’s show.
September 17th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Jared: Yes, he told some friends of ours he plans on doing all of them — even Rachel Ray…so look for it. We’d love to see him on Craig Ferguson’s show.
September 17th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
To Sir Tom Jones: Good luck with your new CD. As for me, being a true fan, I hope this get a l lot of airplay on the Los Angeles stations, especially on on The Sound LA, and on cable radio networks and Direct TV’s 800 channels. Your new CD deserves to be #1.
September 17th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
All I can say is, that ITS ABOUT TIME!!! We love the man in this country. I hope the new CD, whatever it is called, will be marketed properly and is a big success. It’s very exciting to hear about all the retro comments about the music and that Sir Tom is collaborating. Some of the best music we have ever had came from the late 60’s and 70’s in my opinion. Tom Jones was on TV and making music, he was THE MAN!! Still is. Life is good again!!!
September 18th, 2008 at 7:53 am
I am now even more excited than I was before about this new CD, Tom is getting alot of buzz all over the world,I just got a lot of Google hits on the new Cd, no one deserves a hit more than SIR TOM JONES
September 18th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Its such great news new music from Tom a last.Now I’ll be counting the days until it’s released……thank you Tom.
September 19th, 2008 at 8:38 am
I am hoping out of the 13 tracks, (wish there were more), there will be enough to appeal to all audiences. Certainly Tom deserves a huge hit, and won’t it be totally exciting to him to see his own co-writing get the applause it deserves. Tom has lots of stories to tell through his music!!!