He has been performing for 40 years now and doesn’t look like slowing down, ever the king of smooth. Wales is synonymous with strong singing voices and being a cut above the rest in this area is not only a feat in itself, but Tom Jones has also maintained his popularity into a fifth decade. Beginning his career in the ‘60s with the international hit It’s Not Unusual, the unmistakable voice can easily belt out rhythm and blues, rock and roll, pop and, of course, traditional Welsh ballads with ease.

Returning to his home country, Tom Jones Live at Cardiff Castle shows just how much he is adored by his fellow countrymen and women, encompassing all ages. Over three consecutive nights he performed with his outstanding band to sell-out crowds. This concert release is a record of these three shows in July 2001 and is so well edited that it appears to be just one show, the only reason I noticed was by the change of hairstyle of the trombone player!

The tour was primarily to promote his current album release at the time Reload, which was a collection of duets covering some of his favourite songs. There are tracks formerly performed by artists such as INXS, Black Crowes, Talking Heads and Lenny Kravitz, along with selections from his extensive list of hits.

Track listing:

The setting inside the grounds of Cardiff Castle is wonderful and Jones seems in his element. The crowd are as pleased to be there as he is and this provides a terrific atmosphere. He is no doubt a great performer wherever he may appear, but he clearly states that playing to a home crowd helps him produce that extra something.

The backing band is excellent, providing a big sound and showing great versatility with the varying styles of music. Jones handpicked the entire band not only for their musicianship but also for their enthusiasm, which is extremely abundant. Fans of Tom will love this release, along with those who enjoy quality singing from a talented performer.

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and 16:9 enhanced for those with widescreen capability, the video transfer of this concert is very nice, although it does contain a few problems. Concerts are renowned for hassles caused by lighting and although this does suffer in some areas, the majority of footage is better that average. The picture is sharp throughout, especially in close up shots, and only really suffers during the distant shots from behind the audience. Here there are extensive problems with pixelisation and over-saturation. Colours are true throughout with good depth of blacks. There are some aliasing problems, but these are in the usual places such as guitar strings and microphone stands. Shadow detail is very good, but again suffers from the usual lighting problems. Overall this is a terrific concert transfer and apart from the major pixelisation problems in the long shots, there are no unexpected issues. Subtitles are supplied in English only for the concert feature in the form of lyrics and these are a wonderful addition for those karaoke inclined folk out there.

Audio is a choice of Linear PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5,1 and DTS 5.1. The PCM track offers CD quality and is very well balanced. The DD 5.1 track is also of decent quality, but does seem to be slightly lacking in bassy effect. The surround usage is well done, keeping the vocals on the centre speaker and using the surrounds to enhance the supporting music and for audience noise to give a good concert feel. The DTS track is the track of choice as this offers a much fuller sound and really uses the subwoofer well. Separation is slightly better than the DD 5.1 track, but it’s the overall sound of the DTS track that makes the decision of tracks easy if you can play it.

There are a few extras with this release. First up is an interview with the man himself, looking at topics such as the voice, the venue, the band and the songs. The interview runs for 21:20 and is also available with subtitles in a multitude of languages. There is a compilation of ten pictures in the photo gallery, a discography in the form of scrolling text decade by decade and a weblink for www.tomjones.com.

Overal this is a fine performance from a very talented singer and showman. The DVD captures the feel of this event well and is nicely edited and directed. The video transfer suffers in a couple of areas, but is generally of a high standard. The audio is supplied in enough choices to suit all entertainment systems, offering a clear and full sound, and the extras are decent with the highlight being the extended interview. A wonderful release for fans of all ages and definitely worth a look for fans of talented vocalists.