L. Kent Wolgamott: Tom Jones hits it big again

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BY L. KENT WOLGAMOTT / Lincoln Journal Star

Tom Jones is back.

How to greet that news is open for debate; he’s always been a love-him-or-hate-him artist. But for those of us in the former category, “24 Hours,” Jones’ first album of new material in 15 years, is among the most welcome of 2008 recordings and a whole lot of fun.

It’s also the disc that makes him the veteran comeback artist of the year, following in the now-well-worn path trod by Johnny Cash, Donovan, Loretta Lynn, Porter Waggoner and Neil Diamond.

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Tom Jones sings to help raise money for a cancer charity last month outside the Royal Festival Hall on the south bank of the River Thames in London. (AP photo)

Tom Jones sings to help raise money for a cancer charity last month outside the Royal Festival Hall on the south bank of the River Thames in London. (AP photo)

But unlike those artists, who were brought back to public notice by producers Rick Rubin and Jack White and who stripped their music to the basics, Jones is doing things his way.

And that, as always, is over the top.

Teaming with Future Cut, the English production duo behind the likes of Lily Allen, Jones has re-created his classic mid-’60s Las Vegas soul with modern touches, coming out in the same neighborhood as Amy Winehouse, Duffy and the other neo-blue-eyed Brit soul singers.

But there’s nothing neo about Jones. The barrel-chested Welshman has been belting them out for 45 years.

 The surprise here is that at 68, Jones sounds like he’s 28, singing with the power, range and sexuality he brought to his classics “What’s New Pussycat,” “Delilah” and “She’s a Lady.”

And he’s got some strong material to work with: tunes he co-wrote and contributions from others, including a near-recited version of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Hitter,” a song about a boxer, and “Sugar Daddy,” written for Jones by Bono and the Edge of U2.

“Sugar Daddy” oozes with Jones’ stage-seducer sexuality (I’ve never seen more airborne lingerie than at a Jones concert) and could have come close to self-parody. But instead, it delivers sultry career reflection with good humor and, of course, plenty of punch.

It’s followed by “Seasons,” a reflective ballad looking at a life well-lived. But Jones largely avoids that “artist in autumn” view, sticking with what he does best: pouring his all into songs of love and lust, lost and found surrounded by horns, beats and filled with big-voiced hooks and choruses.

Ironically, the weakest parts on “24 Hours” are the tracks near the end of the disc in which Jones gets sensitive and singer/songwritery — exactly the method used by most of the other oldsters in their comebacks.

Which isn’t to say that he doesn’t sing well. He does, and the production remains lush. But the record loses power when it tries to get intimate. Jones is a BIG singer who needs BIG songs to really connect. For 70 percent of “24 Hours,” that’s just what he does. And the other 30 percent isn’t bad.

Jones isn’t likely to get the hipster cred that has been bestowed on Cash, Lynn and, most surprising, Diamond. He’s likely too cheesy for the indie rock crowd and too slick for the “roots rock weirdos.” But he’s in great form on “24 Hours.” That should delight his old fans and, with any luck, introduce him to at least some open-eared members of a new generation.

With all the noise about Guns N’ Roses’ “Chinese Democracy” last week and Britney Spears’ “Circus” this week, I about missed “24 Hours,” and it has flown, to some degrees, under the pop-culture radar.

But Jones is making all kinds of media appearances to promote the record and, since he’s never stopped touring, I’m sure he’ll be playing shows in support of “24 Hours.”

If he comes anywhere close to Lincoln, I’ll be there to catch this force of nature one more time.

Tom Jones is back, and that’s a very good thing.

Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com.