Welsh crooner Tom Jones has spoken about his new stripped back album 'Praise And Blame'.
Tom Jones: tanned skin, ripped open shirt, medallion on a hairy chest. Think you know Tom Jones? Think again. On his new album the singer tears down the public's perception to reveal a much rawer depiction.
The Welsh singer recently turned 70, and obviously desires something to match his age. Tom Jones was invited to record a Christmas album last year, sparking the idea for an album of spiritual material.
"We said, 'If we're going to do this, why don't we take a bit of time and get it done right?'" he told The Guardian. "And it was suggested, thank God, that we approach the producer Ethan Johns."
Fresh from working with Kings Of Leon, Ethan Johns is one of the most celebrated young producers around. Signed up to the new project, he insisted on a new backing band and a raw studio approach.
Choosing a number of old time religious songs, it took a rendition of 'Run On' to waken everyone involved to the potential of 'Praise And Blame'. "Suddenly it happened, it caught fire" Tom Jones explained.
"We thought, 'Let's look for some spiritual things, uplifting things, things that mean something.' And they have to be strong when you've only got a rhythm section, they have to speak for themselves, really. And so we got to the recording studio and said, 'Well, how do we treat this?' Song by song."
Tom Jones grew up with country music, and attempted to incorporate a Welsh sense of spirituality into the new album. Singing in church as a small child, this upbringing fed into the recording process.
"These spiritual songs, the gospel songs on this album, that's very natural to me. It's not like stepping into an area that I haven't tried yet. I know what these songs are; it's my cup of tea if you like. This is stuff that I listen to, that I've always liked."
Tom Jones is due to release 'Praise And Blame' on July 26th.