14 DAY TRIAL // This July, legendary singer Tom Jones is coming out with a brad new album, this time under Island Records. Though fans know – and love – the kind of music he makes, it would seem that Jones has had a change of heart, much to the disappointment of Vice President of the label, David Sharpe, who calls the upcoming material some kind of “sick joke,” AceShowbiz informs.
Admittedly, Sharpe sent an e-mail to one of his associates, directly responsible for the direction on Jones’ latest album. The text leaked to the media and, in all fairness, it does not paint a very positive picture of Sharpe. Not only is the VP unhappy with the result, but he’s also convinced that, by recording hymns, Jones is in violation of his contract with the record label, which reportedly mentions that he should deliver danceable hits and not music for a certain niche.
“Pull back this project immediately or get my money back. Imagine my surprise when I walked into the office this morning to hear hymns coming from your office – it could have been Sunday morning. My initial pleasure came to an abrupt halt when I realized that Tom Jones was singing the hymns! I have just listened to the album in its entirety and want to know if this is some sick joke? We did not invest a fortune in an established artist for him to deliver 12 tracks from the common book of prayer. Having lured him from EMI, the deal was that you would deliver a record of upbeat tracks along the lines of […] Mama Told Me...” the message from Sharpe reads.
“As venerable and interesting as Tom’s story is, this is not what was agreed and certainly not what we paid for. Who put him with a ‘folk’ producer and who authorized that he should go off on this tangent...? Please don’t give me the art over commerce argument, it’s run its course... what are you thinking when he went all spiritual?” the VP further says. In a separate statement, Sharpe says that he (meaning the record label, of course) had paid for a Mercedes and got a hearse instead, which is unacceptable no matter how one looks at it.
Contacted for comment, a spokesperson for the singer says that news of the leaked e-mail came as a shock, for no one on camp Jones had any idea the record label was so displeased with the material. “Praise and Blame” was supposed to come out on July 26 but whether that still remains the case following the label’s reaction is yet to be seen.