At the ripe age of 71, some may have expected Tom Jones to have opted for retirement from music like so many others do. Evidently, this is not his style – proven by his extensive discography that he seems resolute on adding to. Marking his 40th record release, ‘Spirit In The Room’ has a lot in common with its 2010’s acclaimed ‘Praise & Blame’, so it seems a fair assumption that this should share another similarity in terms of success.
Where that release initially teamed Jones with producer Ethan Johns for his Island Records debut, this offering seems to be the next step. Removing that great pop swagger he had in his classic hits, he dabbled with blues and gospel. ‘Spirit In The Room’ feels a continuation of that, with some real blues flavour and a stripped back rock undertone, much more soulful than you’d necessarily expect.
With a string of covers of more (although not exclusively) contemporary artists, Tom tackles restrained versions of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Tower Of Song’ and Tom Waits’ ‘Bad As Me’, which brings a little grit and power into the vocals that were often reserved in other numbers. In a midst of bluesy, stripped back numbers this has a real swing and groove to it, even indulging in some maniacal laughter and sinister feels.
There’s mixes of tempo and styles, but what’s key to note is this reaffirms where he went with his last album. It’s a good listen,
perhaps nothing groundbreaking or mind-blowing but there’s something simply pleasing about it. Some moments are weaker than others, perhaps the intended restraint in his vocals going a tad too far, but that’s being picky. Overall, this album does what it was assumedly intended to do: continue the ideas of his last offering while being enjoyable to listen to.
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Where that release initially teamed Jones with producer Ethan Johns for his Island Records debut, this offering seems to be the next step. Removing that great pop swagger he had in his classic hits, he dabbled with blues and gospel. ‘Spirit In The Room’ feels a continuation of that, with some real blues flavour and a stripped back rock undertone, much more soulful than you’d necessarily expect.
