Tom Jones – Surrounded By Time

80 years old, the legendary Tom Jones is still very active and very relevant in the music industry. In addition to being a jury member of The Voice, he will release his new album ‘Surrounded By Time’ in April 2021.

‘Surrounded By Time’ contains a diverse amount of songs that have inspired the legend quite a bit. The twelve tracks on this album form a complete sound with gospel and blues-like tracks. The new album has been produced, together with producers Ethan Johns and Mark Woodward. On ‘Surrounded By Time’ a number of classic covers are poured into a modern Tom Jones sauce and in this way they get a little more sauce than the original versions.

‘Talking Reality Television Blues’ is the first single and has a wonderful blues sound, and Tom takes the listener into his story while talking and where the guitar riffs provide the spoken words with extra power. With a somewhat fragile voice, one can notice Jones is no longer one of the youngest singers, yet this is one of the absolute trendsetters on this album.

‘The Windmills Of Your Mind’ feels slightly dreamy and mysterious and perfectly fits the voice of Tom Jones. Tom’s vocals, combined with the driving drums, make this song a beautiful masterpiece that takes you to something darker realms. ‘Pop Star’ by Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam is one of these covers that gets an extra boost in this modern version. Bob Dylan’s ‘One More Cup Of Coffee’ is also doing well in a Tom Jones version.

Tom Jones takes the listener with his characteristic voice on a beautiful gospel and blues orientated journey that tastes like more. ‘Surrounded By Time’ is a very nice addition to this legendary singer’s very impressive career and immense oeuvre. This album can also be summarized as a look back at life, in which Tom Jones also had to deal with the death of his wife Linda in 2016. All this gives the album “Surrounded By Time” extra character. A true must-have for every music lover’s record cabinet. (9/10) (EMI)