Sir Tom Jones has prepped a new album to coincide with his upcoming autobiography Over The Top And Back. Hitting stores Dec. 4, Long Lost Suitcase finds The Voice UK judge teaming with multi-instrumentalist Ethan Johns for the reflective collection of R&B and early rock & roll records, recalling his origins as a '60s pop star.
The album, which features covers of songs like "Elvis Presley Blues" and the Willie Nelson classic "Opportunity To Cry," wasn't initially a companion piece to his autobiography. While working on the two projects simultaneously, Jones stated via press release feeling as if each song was written about his own experience, even recalling "Ethan said, 'It's like a bloody autobiography,' and I said, 'Well, funny you should say that, because I'm actually working on one at the moment."
Since then the two projects have become parallel, with the autobiography hitting book stands Nov. 24, a week before the album.
Johns, son of Rolling Stones producer Glyn Johns, has a resume that already boast work with Sir Paul McCartney, Laura Marling and Kings of Leon. Working out of Distillery Studios in Wiltshire, Jones felt Johns was the man for the job because of their instant chemistry.
"Right from the start, Ethan and I were on the same page," says Jones. "We think the same. I can trust him. Before the first album, he said, 'I hear something in you that I don't think has been tapped before. How about we go into a studio, take some musicians, work through some songs, and just do it live, on the fly? I think some great things will happen.'"
In addition to his upcoming album and biography, Jones recently made news after announcing his decision to get a DNA test and find out if he indeed has black ancestry. According to The Telegraph, the singer's race has been a topic of discussion since he's initial rise to popularity, thanks to his voice and thick hair. "A lot of people still think I'm black," he said in an interviews. And soon, he will find out the truth.
