Tom Jones - Praise & Blame
4/5
Low expectations can be a good thing, whereas listening to a new CD with thoughts that brilliance is about to burst out of the speakers can be a fraught experience.
So to Tom Jones' Praise & Blame. Low expectations but, in the end, pleasant surprises.
Mr Jones may have just notched up birthday number 70, but that voice is still as dynamic as it's ever been. And surprise, surprise, the choice of material here is far removed from his usual pop environs as you can get.
It may be unfair but I couldn't help but think of Johnny Cash. Difference is that Cash had that endearing fragility after a life fast-lived, while Jones has maintained the depth and power he's always had.
Worthy of mention is Jones' take on the Cash-associated Ain't No Grave, notable for some country-style pedal steel while Run On delivers a ZZ Top sound. Prepare for pleasantly authentic gospel, blues and traditional songs covered by an artist whose usual agenda is a lot less serious. Great to hear a voice with enormous potential delivering the goods.
