Album info

• Title Reload
• Artist Tom Jones
• Year 1999
• Genre Pop

Tracklist

1. Burning Down the House (with The Cardigans)
2. Mama Told Me Not to Come (with Stereophonics)
3. Are You Gonna Go My Way (with Robbie Williams)
4. All Mine (with The Divine Comedy)
5. Sunny Afternoon (with Space)
6. I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone (with James Dean Bradfield)
7. Sex Bomb (with Mousse T)
8. You Need Love Like I Do (with Heather Small)
9. Looking Out My Window (with James Taylor Quartet)
10. Sometimes We Cry (with Van Morrison)
11. Lust for Life (with The Pretenders)
12. Little Green Bag (with Barenaked Ladies)
13. Ain’t That a Lot of Love (with Simply Red)
14. She Drives Me Crazy (with Zucchero)
15. Never Tear Us Apart (with Natalie Imbruglia)
16. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (with Cerys Matthews)
17. Motherless Child (with Portishead)

Thoughts

This album has been a contentious one (in my own mind, only) as to whether it should count in this album adventure. As a collection of covers, it’s not really what the adventure was about and I’ve debated (with myself, obviously) over and over again. Then, Burning Down the House popped up on the Top of the Pops replays, and I decided to go for it. Partly, that’s because Tom Jones has obviously put a lot of thought into this collection of songs, crafting the track list and selecting the ideal guest artists to participate. And partly it’s because this is my game and I wanted to listen to it.

It’s brilliant, obviously! The first two tracks are fantastic and kick things off in style and there are some real gems on there. I think it trails off a little bit towards the end, although Natalie Imbruglia has a really good showing on that INXS song. To reintroduce Tom Jones to a new generation, I really can’t think of a better album to have put together.

Rating: 5 / 5