jeffvrabel.com I humorist and music writer

Billboard — Rather than stage a stripped-down comeback in a incense-laden studio with an acoustic guitar and/or Rick Rubin, 68-year-old Tom Jones struts in the other direction, having waited for the full Winehouse-led rebloom of the bombastic rock ‘n’ soul he made not so unusual in the first place. Jones roars out of the box with Tommy James & the Shondells’ “I’m Alive,” a sweat-soaked jumpsuit of a song thick with fierce maleness (“I don’t care if I’m right or wrong, I’m a man,” Jones howls). The Bono-penned “Sugar Daddy” is basically a series of dirty-sex couplets delivered as a smirking kiss-off to anyone who dares doubt his continued virility (“Daddy always gives you what is good for you”). Then there’s the Bruce Springsteen obscurity “The Hitter,” about a past-his-prime boxer who can’t stay clear of the fight. Like Jones, you might be wondering what he could possibly be doing in the ring, until he lands a hook or two.

• An audience with Sir Tom Jones.

• Tom Jones – Sugar Daddy.mp3