Tom Jones
Praise & Blame
UK Press Quotes
“Jones is a man with a passion for roots music that runs several fathoms deep. [Here] he has eschewed the sheen of his most famous recordings in favour of dirt and red-raw honesty. This is a man tapping into his very heart and soul to deliver a performance of uncharacteristic tenderness and undeniable human frailty….sailing into uncharted waters as he convincingly seeks redemption and a sense of peace”.
Julian Marszalek, The Quietus
“Honestly, it’s super”.
Drowned In Sound
“At last, a brilliant new album that offers depth and soulfulness…it’s what his might voice is made for”.
David Smyth, Evening Standard (London), 4*/4
“Wonderfully right. Praise & Blame is love without the mockery…it’s lo-fi garage soul superness”.
The Fly. 4*
“Striking, tender and exhilarating”.
Clash Magazine, 4*/5
“Tom cashes in on hidden depths…CD of the Week”.
The Scotsman
“Grand…it’s a blistering album, and at last Jones the artist is the match of Jones the entertainer”.
Michael Hann, The Guardian, 4*/5
“It’s an extraordinary achievement. Here he is left naked and bleeding raw, bereft of showbiz blandishments. Praise & Blame is clearly on of the best albums of Jones’s entire career”.
Andy Gill, The Independent, 5*/5
“Crisp, earthy and a perfect vehicle for that still most powerful of voices. Raw and remarkable…this is the most gripping, honest and brave record that the great Tom has ever made”.
The Sun, 4.5*/5
“Jones’s delivery has rarely been so convincing. At points his vocal is so smoulderingly smoky it sounds like a cigar factory inferno. An impressively accomplished album…his best effort in years”.
Time Out, London, 4*/5
“It’ll be mostly praise and very little blame….an album that is sheer class”.
Daily Express, 4*/4
“[This] unvarnished Americana with the Voice’s sternum-quacking vocals hits the spot”.
Ldcovic Hunter-Tilney, Financial Times, 4*/5
“Powerful vocals….natural and real”.
NME, 8/10
“Praise & Blame shows the good sense in Jones…his enthusiasm for this project is palpable. Spare, fluent and tasteful”.
Kitty Empire, The Observer
“He has made a great record, raw and alive with a love of music, shot through with emotional veracity and vital performances. He genuinely deserves his continuing success”.
Neil McCormick, The Telegraph
“Raw and emotional, a powerful journey…an immaculately compiled release, his voice as deep and resonant as ever”.
Music Week, ‘Album of the Week”
“Delivered with due reverence, turning on the power when required but never edging into showbiz. Few singers with a popular background are going to emerge with an album as remarkable as this during 2010”.
Mojo, 4*/4
“70-year old Jones has finally matured, delving into his musical heritage, and delivering a stunning album. Anchored by a voice that sounds more impassioned and dignified than ever; poignant at times, exhilarating at others, Praise & Blame marks an exciting new direction from a national treasure”.
Clash Magazine, 8/10