Tom Jones returns with a new album

Tom Jones is back for another crack at the charts – and he's brought Bono and the Edge for back-up.

The Welsh crooner returns in the autumn with an album of almost entirely original material. While Jones found considerable success with 2000's Reload, 2002's Mr Jones and 2005's Tom Jones & Jools Holland, these records were never released in the US. But with 24 Hours, to be released on November 25, he will make a play not just for the British and European charts, but for the US billboard as well.

"The fire is still in me," Jones emphasised to reporters from the Associated Press. "Not to be an oldie, but a goodie. I want to be a contender."

In order to contend, the 68-year-old singer has enlisted U2's Bono and the Edge to guest on a song called Sugar Daddy. The rest of 24 Hours will mostly be plain old beautiful Jones – singing just two covers, Bruce Springsteen's The Hitter and Tommy James and the Shondells' I'm Alive.

The record was produced by Future Cat, a duo who have worked with Lily Allen and Kate Nash. They aimed for a Stax sound, not unlike (cough, cough) Mark Ronson's take on Amy Winehouse.

"We've been thinking about this for a while, doing a retro sound but new," said Jones. "And Amy Winehouse, she cracked it. When that album came out, my son called me right away and said, 'You know what we've been talking about? Listen to this.'"

"I wanted my voice to sound as natural as possible," Jones explained. "The arrangements and the production needs to be modern, but the vocal needs to sound like me."

As for his return to America, Jones seemed eager to play in the land where he lives. "I've had a lot of success worldwide," he complained, "which is a pain because I live [in Los Angeles] and I do most of my shows in America." The poor bloke. "Hopefully, this will straighten that out," he said.


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