Reviews of Tom's Music, What's New, Pussycat?
Here’s where all the critical reviews of Tom’s music — the new stuff and, if we can find any — older recordings.
Tom Jones’ “24 Hours:” Still Charting in US, UK & A Late Review
Monday, January 5th, 2009Note: Nielson SoundScan, the company that tracks sales, said CD sales in 2008 were down 15 percent. Overall music sales are up 10 percent (digital sales). Vinyl is up — 1.8 million sales in 2008 — an 89 percent increase over 2007 and the highest level Nielson SoundScan has seen in its 17-year history.
The world of record — er, CD — charting is a Byzantine, labyrinthine, just plain out-and-out confusing one.
Charts are calculated based on a variety of factors including airplay, sales and downloads. But what station plays the music, where they sell it and the site from which it is downloaded, also play a part. It is very difficult to figure out. This, for example, is Billboard’s explanation.
At any rate, here are the latest chart standings for 24 Hours. At left are the amazon numbers from January 4 and the Official UK Charts Company numbers. At right, clearly, is Billboard. The amazon numbers from both the US and the UK can change at any moment. But, the US number on amazon.com are really terrific considering the relatively small bit of promotion done here compared to Europe. You go, Tom!
From The Hartford Courant (Connecticut) comes this review by Eric R. Danton.
Tom Jones is back, making the world safe again for chest hair with his umpteenth release since the 1960s, when he and his tight pants helped turn sex in pop music from an insinuation into an outright come-on.
Jones’ antics look tame by today’s standards, though, so the recently knighted Welsh performer adds to his job title on 24 Hours. Now he’s Sir Tom Jones, singer-songwriter. For the first time in his career, Jones helped write most of these songs, and why not? No one knows Jones like Jones.
He’s still in possession of that urgent, throaty voice, singing as though his disrobing is imminent. Jones opens with a reminder, I’m Alive, setting the tone for the record with blaring horns, boxy drums and sizzling, trebly guitar licks, all of which sound like they were recorded in 1968, in Austin Powers’ boudoir.
It’s a throwback sound, even as he strives for modernistic on the ballad The Road, a tribute to his wife of 51 years (they married when Jones, 68, was 17), or Seasons, a reflective account of his occasionally errant life.
Jones hangs with the heavyweights on a couple of tunes he didn’t contribute to. Bono and the Edge wrote Sugar Daddy with Jones in mind, and Bruce Springsteen’s The Hitter becomes a slow-burning soul tune.
Despite such a noble stab at nuance, Jones is, and always has been, at his best when he cuts loose the way he does on the sex-funk tune If He Should Ever Leave You. If he ever does, rest assured, Jones will be waiting.
(Photo by Soren Solkaer Starbird)
January 5th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Ellen, I am happy to read the Billboard Explanation, and also the CD’s ranking abroad and in the U.S. I have listened and critiqued this new CD in my own mind, and due to varying critical paper reviews, both pro and con, I think the CD should be higher on the charts…and should stay there for awhile. JMHO.
It has been great reading all the reviews of Tom’s CD, as it brings publicity and recognition for Tom. But…how on earth is this new CD going to become the hit it should be if there is NO radio play? Tom works like crazy to produce, release and promote his latest CDs, but I don’t hear them.
January 5th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
I agree with Marian. How come that we never hear this new Cd on the radio. What has Tom got to do to have his songs aired ? Why did “Sex Bomb” have such a success and not “If he should ever leave you”. I don’t think people asked more for the former than for the latter.
January 6th, 2009 at 2:04 am
I have heard If He Should Ever Leave yYou played a few times on BBC radio Wales,but considering Tom is a local bo y(or was) I thought I would have heard it more. It has crossed my mind that perhaps the radio stations are only allowed to play it a certain amount of times due to certain regulations, whatever they may be.
January 6th, 2009 at 7:37 am
May be a bit naive, but, isn’t it up to the listeners
to request these songs?
January 6th, 2009 at 9:51 am
Marian: By googling “radio playlist creation” or something similar you’ll find that radio is a very unstable medium (with, possibly, the exception of NPR). Listeners of all ages are turning away from terrestrial radio to satellite, CDs, MP3 players, etc. There are people and agencies who work for record companies that are paid to place music. But, in the end, apparently, it’s a youth-oriented market. Even Tony Bennett, who had a #1 CD, didn’t get the airplay people who grew up believing that radio is where it’s at learned to expect. Today, it’s sales — from the ever-decreasing number of brick-and-mortar stores, online and MP3 downloads — that make the difference. And, really, radio stations won’t listen much to the same person calling all the time to request a song. Would you? The music industry is in a real state of flux right now and has been for several years. Unfortunately, the recording artists get caught up in this maelstrom and, for now, there’s no solution. Tom’s CD seems to be selling in direct proportion the the amount of promotion. Not badly at all.
January 6th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Hola a todos, quisiera saber cuales son las canciones que le faltan al album 24 hs (USA) con respecto al europeo. Muchas gracias y q tengan un buen año
January 6th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Thanks Ellen; I have always thought it is a youth oriented market, and I believe they and the under 50 crowd are the ones who are buying most of the music. In the past when I did listen to radio, each time I requested a song to be played, the DJ had only two or three of Tom’s songs. I have even offered to send them a CD to give them something new, but they just chuckled when I offered…sad!!!
A family member told me today one of the new music channels we have available on our TV had a one hour special of just Tom recently. Unfortunately, they did not call me in time to listen to it. I was so amazed since I had just been complaining about this very subject. Since I just had expanded cable added, I am not a regular listener, but I see I should be more adventurous and give the new channels a listen.
January 7th, 2009 at 6:49 am
I’m wondering something : Tom said he wouldn’t tour if his CD was not a success. How can we know if it is a success or not? Do you know if he will tour Europe or not ? I dream of seeing Tom sing all those wonderful new songs on stage.
January 8th, 2009 at 7:24 am
I AM FRUSTRATED WITH THE RADIO STATIONS IN OTTAWA – I HAVE REQUESTED SONGS FROM THE NEW CD AND I KEEP GETTING “THIS IS NOT THE TYPE OF MUSIC WE PLAY ‘ WE DO HAVE A RADIO STATION CALLED THE JEWEL WHICH PLAYS A LOT OF TOM BUT HIS OLDER SONGS (MORE VARIETY THAN OUR OLDIES STATION) BUT THEY DON’T PLAY ANY “NEW” MUSIC – I HAD SUCH HIGH HOPES FOR THIS CD BUT I THINK IT IS GOIING TO DO BETTER IN THE UK THAN HERE