Tom Jones - 24 Hours

Last updated 11:32 17/12/2009

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For a bloke knocking on the door of 70, Mr Jones still sounds pretty good.

Not that you'll guess this from the opening track, a cover of Tommy James and the Shondells' I'm Alive, where his raw tones make him sound like he's pleading for relevance.

But fear not, his old class swiftly reasserts itself with the smooth soul number, If He Should Ever Leave You, the first of nine tracks in which, for the first time in his career, he picks up the pen himself (with help from young producers Future Cut).

Production line-standard stuff like Give A Little Love can't shade out the quality of In Style and Rhythm, another chapter in Jones' guide to a swinging cool life. Bono and the Edge supply him with Sugar Daddy, and the synth-soul of Never is no worse than anything Robbie Williams has done lately.

Those well-preserved vocal cords get to shine in the gospel confessional Seasons, a powerful cover of Springsteen's The Hitter, and the title track, where he lifts his register from the groin to the heart and really connects.

Best tracks: If He Should Ever Leave You, In Style and Rhythm.