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There are plenty of senior citizens in pop, but not many who face up to their age. Tom Jones seemed in denial too, until, aged 68, he stopped dyeing his hair. Now here he is at 80, making an album called Surrounded By Time, which includes a song called I’m Growing Old.
It’s quite unusual.
‘I’m growing dimmer in the eyes,’ he sings. But the twinkle hasn’t left him and neither has his voice, which is still a force of nature that can suddenly switch to finesse. If albums were all about singing, this one would get five stars.
Tom Jones Announces New Album Surrounded by Time
Watch a video for its first single Taking Reality Television Blues
Published Feb 03, 2021Tom Jones is headed back our way with a new album. Called
Surrounded by Time, the record will arrive on April 23 via S-Curve Records. Alongside the announcement is the record s first single, Taking Reality Television Blues, which has been fitted with its own video.
The song traces the history and impact of the television, with Jones stating, I was there when TV started didn t know I d become a part of it but it could be that its power is to remind us how wonderful, crazy and inventive we are, but also how scary the reality it reflects can be.
The It s Not Unusual singer, 80, is set to release his upcoming covers album,
Surrounded by Time, on April 23. The album will be his first since 2015 s
Long Lost Suitcase and since his wife of 59 years, Melinda Linda Rose Woodward, died of cancer in 2016. Get push notifications with news, features and more. + Follow
Following You ll get the latest updates on this topic in your browser notifications. Last year, during lockdown and 5 years of enormous personal changes, I finally felt the need to express myself again through my music, Jones wrote in a statement announcing the album on Facebook. I got into the studio with some great friends and musicians and created a new album!
Sir Tom Jones is set to start touring again in May (Image: GETTY)
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Speaking with Clash, Sir Tom said: “There’s different things that can happen, and that comes from the audience. You sing a song, and the reaction is different one night compared to another night. And you feel differently.
“There’s a live thing that happens that you can’t get on record. It’s a thing that happens there. It’s in the air sometimes! You’ll think. ‘What the f happened here tonight?!’, especially at an open air gig.
“You think, ‘Something must be in the air because this has really taken off!’ And it’s the audience that does that. And collectively they become a thing unto themselves. And that only happens when you’re live. That’s what any entertainer will tell you.”
I m Always Changing An Audience With Tom Jones The Welsh icon on his new album, defying expectations, and walking his own path.
Tom Jones is a national institution.
Those classic hits are part of our daily lives, while his current role on The Voice guarantees tabloid coverage of his every word.
But the past 10 years has also witnessed the Welsh singer take incredible risks, going back to his roots for a series of albums with Ethan Johns.
Exploring the blues, gospel, and country aspects of his work, Tom Jones challenged both himself and his audience, writing a fresh chapter for his storied history.