Background
Tom Jones began working with record producer Ethan Johns,who had worked with acts such as Kings of Leon,Joe Cocker,and Crowded House,in 2009. Johns had told Island Records that he wanted to work with Jones the most,and the label eventually brought the two together. Their first album together, Praise &Blame (2010),consisted of cover versions of gospel songs to the tune of American roots music. [1] They recorded a follow-up album of more gospel covers, Spirit in the Room ,which was released in 2012. [2] In the same year,Jones joined The Voice UK as one of the show's first four vocal coaches. [3] Jones and Johns later recorded their third album together, Long Lost Suitcase ,and released it in 2015. [4]
While on his tour supporting Long Lost Suitcase,Jones' wife Linda Rose Woodward was diagnosed with cancer,causing Jones to cancel his tour dates for the foreseeable future. Woodward eventually died from the cancer in April 2016. [5] Afterward,Jones followed Woodward's advice and sold their Los Angeles mansion,subsequently moving to a flat in London. [6] Prior to her death,Woodward encouraged Jones to continue recording and performing music after her passing. Jones recalled in a 2021 interview with HMV that he was originally unable to perform following her death,saying that "I didn’t know if I could sing. When you get too emotional,your voice doesn't work ... It knocked me completely off balance". [7]
The announcement of Surrounded by Time came on 15 January 2021,with its release date and track listing being revealed. On the same day,Jones' cover version of "Talking Reality Television Blues",originally written by Todd Snider,was released as the album's lead single,with a music video for the song being released in conjunction. [9] The album's second single,"No Hole in My Head",originally written by Malvina Reynolds,was released roughly two weeks later on 27 January alongside a music video. [10] He performed the song live on The Graham Norton Show two days later and was briefly interviewed by Norton after the performance. [11] The third single from the album,"One More Cup of Coffee",originally written by Bob Dylan,was released on 18 March. [12] The fourth and final pre-release single released from the album,"Pop Star",originally written by Cat Stevens,was released on 9 April alongside a music video. [13]
Surrounded by Time was released through EMI Records internationally and S-Curve Records in the United States. Its release on digital music platforms and physical releases through EMI came on 23 April 2021. Physically,the album was sold as a CD, [14] 12-inch black vinyl, [15] and cassette. [16] Each physical version of the album was allowed to be bundled with a T-shirt displaying the album's cover art through Jones' official website. [17] For the Japanese CD release,Jones' 1965 recording of "It's Not Unusual" was included as a bonus track. [18] A non-import version of the CD release for United States markets was released on 7 May through S-Curve. [19] A repackaged expanded edition of Surrounded by Time,named The Hourglass Edition,was announced on 19 October 2021. The re-release includes an additional disc comprising a cover version of Bob Dylan's "Not Dark Yet",a new composition titled "One Hell of a Life",four live performances of Surrounded by Time tracks at Shepherd's Bush Empire,and an interview with Jones and Peter Paphides. The cover of "Not Dark Yet" was released as a single on the day of the announcement. [20] The Hourglass Edition was released on 3 December 2021 through EMI. Alongside a digital release,it received a standard double-CD release [21] as well a deluxe box set release,designed as a 7-inch gatefold package that includes a booklet and additional art cards. [22]
On 3 September 2022,Jones performed "I Won't Crumble With You If You Fall" on The Voice UK. [23] [24] Within 24 hours,the song had peaked on the UK iTunes chart at number 1. [25]
Reception
Critical
Surrounded by Time received positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic,which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications,the album received a weighted average score of 83,based on 9 reviews,indicating "universal acclaim". [27] Critics mainly praised Jones' vocal ability at a late point in his career as well as the songs selected to be covered for the album.
The Daily Telegraph 's Neil McCormick awarded the album five out of five stars,lauding Jones' vocal ability at 80 years of age. He also applauded the selection of songs for the album,calling the performance of "I'm Growing Old" in particular "a powerful statement in this age-defying business. Jones turns it into an act of gentle if sorrowful surrender." [30] Writing for musicOMH ,Ben Hogwood praised Jones' vocals,saying that he is "expressing more emotion than he probably has at any point in his career," as well as Ethan Johns' production and the instrumental performances by the session musicians. He also considered the album to be more than a standard covers album,stating "it is more a series of songs that Jones and his cohorts have taken into the repair shop,stripped down to the bare bones,and rebuilt in the shape of their new front man." [35]
Lisa Wright of DIY also considered it to go beyond a typical covers album,writing that "ostensibly a covers collection ... it instead comes across as something of a send off - a release that embraces the gravitas and legacy of Tom’s life and attempts to tie up the loose ends. [31] Clash Music praised Jones for pushing boundaries on the album,calling Surrounded by Time a "12 strong song cycle that finds Tom Jones doing exactly as he pleases. It’s an extraordinary balancing act,another vital page in this remarkable ongoing chapter." [29] Writing for AllMusic,Thom Jurek called the album "magnificent" and said that it is "redolent with wisdom and a raging lust for life that is free of camp. It offers abundant proof that despite the passing of years,Jones has lost none his power or swagger." [28] The Independent 's Helen Brown thoroughly enjoyed the album,calling Jones "an ongoing triumph of hope and experience." [33]
The Guardian 's Alexis Petridis wrote a less favourable review of the album,but still enjoyed parts of it;he praised certain cover versions while stating "the other experiments are a mixed bag." He additionally praised Jones' desire to freely record whatever he pleases despite being primarily known for "belting out 'It's Not Unusual' at Hampton Court Palace and the Rhyl Events Arena". [32]
Commercial
In the United Kingdom,Surrounded by Time debuted at number one on the albums chart; [38] it was considered to be on track for a number-one debut during the midweek chart update. [39] In its first week,it sold 14,936 copies,with 13,243 of those being physical sales. [40] This marked Jones' fourth number-one UK album in his career,his first since Reload in 1999. This feat also made Jones,at 80 years and 10 months,both the oldest male to earn a number-one UK album and the oldest artist ever to earn a number-one UK album with an album of newly recorded material,overtaking Bob Dylan,who topped the chart at 79 years old in June 2020 with Rough and Rowdy Ways . [38] Additionally,Surrounded by Time was the best-selling album of the week in terms of both physical and download sales. [41] [42] The album remained in the top-5 after its second week of release,falling to No. 5. [43]
Sir Thomas Jones Woodward is a Welsh singer. His career began with a string of top 10 hits in the 1960s and he has since toured regularly, with appearances in Las Vegas from 1967 to 2011. His voice has been described by AllMusic as a "full-throated, robust baritone".
Bananarama are an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Their success on both pop and dance charts saw them listed in the Guinness World Records for achieving the world's highest number of chart entries by an all-female group. Between 1982 and 2009, they had 32 singles reach the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart.
Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 12 September 1975 through Harvest Records in the UK and Columbia Records in the US, their first for the label. Based on material Pink Floyd composed while performing in Europe, Wish You Were Here was recorded over numerous sessions throughout 1975 at EMI Studios in London.
Mellow Yellow is the fourth album from Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It was released in the US in February 1967 (Epic Records LN 24239 / BN 26239, but not released in the UK because of a continuing contractual dispute that also prevented Sunshine Superman from a UK release. In June 1967, a cross-section of both albums was released as Sunshine Superman in the UK. "Mellow Yellow" was the name of Donovan's hit single released the previous November.
Best of Bowie is a greatest hits album by English recording artist David Bowie. Released in October 2002, four months after the critical and commercial success of the Heathen album, the songs range from his second album, David Bowie (1969) to Heathen (2002). A DVD, also titled Best of Bowie, was also released.
"True Love" is a popular song written by American songwriter Cole Porter, published in 1956. The song was introduced by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly in the musical film High Society. "True Love" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Kelly's contribution on the record is relatively minor, duetting with Crosby on only the final chorus. Nonetheless, the single is co-credited to her.
The Sonny Side of Chér is the second studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released on March 28, 1966, by Imperial. Cher again collaborated with Sonny Bono and Harold Battiste. The album is by-and-large a covers album and contains two songs written by Bono. The title of the album is a pun on the name of Cher's first husband Sonny Bono. Cher's second successful album of the sixties, it was released on CD in 1992 by EMI together with Cher's first album as a 2fer. In 1995 EMI re-released this 2fer with the album Chér. The last version of the album was released in 2005 only in UK by BGO Records. These editions feature a different track order than the original LP.
"Angel of Mine" is a song by British R&B girl group Eternal from their first compilation album, Greatest Hits (1997). It was written by Rhett Lawrence and Travon Potts, produced by Lawrence, and released on 29 September 1997. The song became Eternal's 12th and final top-10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number four. "Angel of Mine" was the ensemble's final single as a three-piece, as after its release, Kéllé Bryan left the group. In June 2019, "Angel of Mine" was ranked at number 91 on the Official Charts Company's "Top 100 Girl Band Singles of the Last 25 Years".
"I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" is a song by English rock band Arctic Monkeys released on 17 October 2005 through Domino Recording Company. The song was the band's debut single and the first from their debut studio album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006). Written by frontman Alex Turner and produced by Jim Abbiss, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" is a garage rock, indie rock, and post-punk song. It debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 23 October 2005, and remains one of the band's best-known songs in the UK.
"Mama Told Me Not to Come", also written as "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)", is a song by American singer-songwriter Randy Newman written for Eric Burdon's first solo album in 1966. Three Dog Night's 1970 cover topped the US pop singles chart. Tom Jones and Stereophonics' version also reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart in 2000.
Vincent Hill was an English traditional pop singer, best known for his cover version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune "Edelweiss" (1967), which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. He recorded 25 studio albums and several soundtracks, wrote songs and plays and hosted TV shows during the 1970s and 1980s, including They Sold a Million (BBC), Musical Time Machine (BBC) and the chat show Gas Street (ITV). Outside of his work in show business, he was a patron of the Macular Society, a UK charity for anyone affected by central vision loss.
"Don't Know Why" is a song written and composed by Jesse Harris that originally appeared on his 1999 album, Jesse Harris & the Ferdinandos. A cover of the song was the debut single of American singer Norah Jones from her debut studio album, Come Away with Me (2002).
"Stoned in Love" is a dance track by Chicane, with vocals performed by famed pop singer Tom Jones. It was released as a physical single on 24 April 2006. The song was later included on Chicane's third studio album, Somersault (2007), as well as Tom Jones' 2006 compilation Greatest Hits: The Platinum Edition.
"Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" is a song by the English rock band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, released on 31 January 1975 by EMI as the lead single from the band's third studio album The Best Years of Our Lives. The song was written by Harley, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons. In February 1975, the song reached number one on the UK chart and received a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry in October 2021. It spent nine weeks in the Top 50, and as of 2015, has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide. The song is one of the most-played songs in British broadcasting history.
"Burning Down the House" is a song by new wave band Talking Heads, released in July 1983 as the first single from their fifth studio album Speaking in Tongues.
"It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones, after it had first been offered to Sandie Shaw. He intended it as a demo for her, but when she heard it she was so impressed with his delivery that she recommended he sing it instead.
"Stay" is a song written by Bob Khozouri and Mark Stevens, and originally recorded by American singer Glenn Jones. It was released in 1990 by Jive Records from his fifth album, All for You (1990), reaching number six on the US Billboard Hot Black Singles chart. The song became a worldwide hit for British girl group Eternal in 1993 and 1994.
"Sex Bomb" is a song by Welsh singer Tom Jones. Performed in collaboration with German DJ and record producer Mousse T., the song was released in 1999 in several European countries; in January of the following year, it was issued across the rest of Europe except the United Kingdom, where it was not released until May 2000. Outside the UK, the track served as the second single from Jones' 34th album, Reload, while in the UK, it served as the fourth single.
"Don't You Love Me" is a song by British R&B girl group Eternal. It was the second single to be released from their third studio album, Before the Rain (1997). The song deals with child neglect and abuse and features a choir of 20 children. It peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart in March 1997, becoming the group's tenth top-10 entry on the chart, as well as their first top-three hit.
"Tequila" is a song by English rock band Terrorvision, written by the band and Chuck Rio and produced by Scottish musician Edwyn Collins. The song originally appeared on the band's fourth studio album, Shaving Peaches (1998), and was released as the album's second single on 18 January 1999. For the single release, English music producer Mint Royale remixed the track. These remixes were heavily championed by BBC Radio 1 DJ Zoe Ball, allowing the song to reach number two on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Terrorvision's highest-charting song in the UK. In 1999, the song won the Kerrang! Award for Best Single.
