Reload - Tom Jones > Reviews > Old Welsh Bloke Cuts It With Young Guns

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money

Advantages:	A Fun Packed Party Album
Disadvantages:	Simply Red & Robbie Williams

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Over the last few years “auld Tom” has had a bit of a renaissance. He’s always had a decent voice, and I remember him doing “Opportunity Knocks” when I was a wee lad. My mum loved him, with such hits as “It’s Not Unusual”, “Green Green Grass of Home” and the perennially fresh “Delilah” (recently duetted with Pavarotti on one of the portly ones worthy fund raising concerts for Armenian or Albanian children). He then covered Prince’s Kiss and brought out the critically acclaimed “The Lead & How To Swing It”, followed by a hilarious cameo appearance in Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks” (singing It’s Not Unusual, of course, as the place is over run by Aliens), then he serves up this little , and very successful , artefact.

Seems a good idea, increase street credibility by recording class songs with the supposed best of today’s new talent. It doesn’t all work , and to paraphrase the description of some small imaginary girl who’s name slips my mind, when it’s good it’s very very good, but when it’s bad it’s horrid. Luckily it’s mostly very very good.

One of the disaster is the duet with our Robbie. Looks great on paper , the likeliest lad meets the likeliest granddad duetting on Lenny Kravitz’s Hendrix tribute “Are You Gonna Go My Way”. It just seems to full itself, or maybe its because I detest the lyrics of the song (I’ve had to sing this live and the lyrics are soooo cheesy). The only others I’m not to keen are the duets with Simply (D)Red(ful) and Natalie Imbruglia (is that name for real???)

The rest of the album is an absolute hoot….

It opens with a cover of the Talking Heads “Burning Down The House” backed by the Cardigans and is absolutely storming.

Sex Bomb was the summer record of 2000 , and this feature Mousse T.

All Mine features the Divine Comedy doing a very good Portishead impression. Portishead then back Jones the Voice on Motherless Child.

Space , who I assume were introduced via their common record label (Gut) produced a fun , slowed down over the top version of Ray Davie’ Sunny Afternoon , originally by the Kinks.

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with Cerys of Catatonia is absolutely brilliant and probably the funniest song on the album. Rumour that Tom and Cerys “knew” each other in the biblical sense during the making of this album, allegedly. He’s old enough to be her granddad!!!! Though quite a few of my female friends would have no problem with that.

James Dean Bradfield helps out on a slowed down version of Elvis Presley’s rockabilly classic “I’m Left, You’re Right , She’s Gone” another stunner.

The album has deservedly produced lots of hit singles.

Whilst I’m unsure of it’s artistic merits it certainly is great fun , and it’s great to see a sixty year old bloke behaving badly with a bunch of twenty somethings.

A must for any party.