Observer

Tom Jones: Spirit in the Room – Observer Review 3/5*

51-v1AbOBnL._SL500_AA300_Before TV viewers ask, there is, thankfully, no version of U2's Beautiful Day on Tom Jones's latest record. Like its successful predecessor, 2010's God-fearing Praise & Blame, Spirit in the Room is an album of covers. It does not feature Jones's most recent venture into other artists' material, however, in which the massed ranks (and we use the word "rank" advisedly) of Jones and his fellow judges on BBC1's The Voice performed cruel and unusual punishments upon Beautiful Day the other week. You almost felt for the Irish rock titans as the remains of their Day lay bleeding on to the set. On the other hand, neither does this album feature Jones's blistering cover of Howlin' Wolf's Evil, or his extraordinary take on Jezebel, recorded with Jack White in the manner of a satanic Delilah. [...]