If the idea of an album featuring Welsh middle-of-the-road pop star Tom Jones announcing "T.J.'s in the house with phat beats from the streets" makes you run screaming from the room, then THE LEAD AND HOW TO SWING IT is probably not for you. On the other hand, if it sounds like a kitsch classic in the making, you're on the right track.
This 1994 release, a kind of belated follow-up to Jones' surprisingly satisfying 1989 collaboration with the Art Of Noise on Prince's "Kiss," is Jones' rock & roll comeback. Thankfully, it's delivered with a winning sense of self-mockery. More importantly, the song choice is surprisingly apt, and the producers, including Jeff Lynne, Lol Creme and Trevor Horn, know what to do with the power of his still-remarkable voice.