Tom Jones Reloaded Greatest Hits is one CD that I never tire of. Not just because I Jones for my Jones, but because this CD has it all.

You laugh, you cry You sing along & dance. Let's take it song by song, shall we?

1. It's Not Unusual

Classic Tom Jones. Pure & simple. It's also a hopeful song of longing... Been there, done that, right?

2. Sexbomb - Peppermint Jam Mix with Mousse T

Dance your ass off. A song for when you're full of youself, or would like to be.

3. What's New Pussycat?

It's cute & reminds me of many girls night sing alongs. OK, now it's more often sung with the kids, but still...

4. Delilah

As a woman who survived domestic violence, this song somehow becomes a weird anthem. I don't know how it does, but it does. It's also one hell of a flashback... Growing up, I actually heard this song on the radio & in dinner clubs with my folks.

5. Kiss - with The Art of Noise

I am also a huge Prince fan, so how much better can a song get? It's sexy & reminds me of being in my 20's and dancing at the clubs...

6. She's a Lady

Now here's a song that every woman would like sung about her. Sure, it's a bit trapped in some gender roles. Yet it's rather innocent -- do you remember when being a lady was a compliment? This song does. I like that.

7. Mama Told Me (Not to Come) - with Stereophonics

Remake of the Three Dog Night tune. Quite the reminder of youthful transgressions. OK, some not-so-youthful ones as well. But I dare you not to find yourself singing along, grinding your hips a bit too.

8. Tom Jones International


This was a new one for me. It's Tom's hop-hop debut. The refrain has a Jamaican thing happening -- lord knows you have to dance & sing along:

1, 2 Tom's coming for you

3, 4 gonna bust through your door

5, 6 you better lock up your chicks

7, 8 before it's too late

I can't tell you how this song works exactly, but when you hear it, it becomes an anthem -- for youth, glory days, and vitality continues & it will not be denied:

30 years strong, never went wrong

still in the game, I'll decide when I'm gone

now I'd gonna set the whole house on fire

I won't stop rocking til I retire

You know, and I know, you gotta move on the dancefloor

We're blowing up this party with this sexbomb

take my hand, understand I'll rock for years all across the land

so let me see you shake it til the sun comes

I can't tell you how this song has made me shed the grief over my friend's pain. For example, when Kat was diagnosed with breast cancer, this song was a determined promise that we would again dance on the dance floor & shake it til the sun comes.

It's the last line that finds me driving down the road, my fist raised in the air, as I defy any problem I have that seems to threaten my ability to take it to & shake it on the dance floor.

9. Thunderball

Homage to 007. It's a bit over-the-top. But then so am I.


10. Baby, It's Cold Outside - with Cerys Matthews of Catatonia

Another new find for me, this song sounds like it came straight from the 20's. (Although I think it was first written/recorded in the 40's.) It's the age old story of a man trying to seduce a woman... she knows & recounts the reasons why she shouldn't stay but you get the feeling she wants to. And not just because of the weather. Been there, been there, been there.

11. Black Betty

Some prefer the Ram Jam version. Sure, there's something to be said for the originals, but I don't know of another Ram Jam tune, so I'll take Tom's version anyday. It's fun to dance to, but if you start thinking about it... This song always makes me think of Billie Jean by Michael Jackson & why women, especially black women, are portrayed in songs as predatory huntresses getting pregnant to catch men. But that's a discussion for me & the other sex kittens, or at least another column -- As far as this column on Tom Jone's CD goes, Black Betty is a pop culture question hidden in a dance track.

12. If I Only Knew

Desperate dancing. Oh, come on. You've all been there.

13. Green, Green Grass of Home

Another classic Tom Jones song. It's wistful & perfect for the days you need to wallow in fantasies of what you will miss when you leave this place.

14. Sometimes We Cry

*sigh* If Tom Jones International is about defiance, this song is about acceptance. Sometimes I sing it for my failings, for my fears, a mantra for my emptiness at the cruelties of what I must endure. Othertimes I sing it for all my sisters, known & unknown, as a prayer or a wish. Most of the time I sing it "with" Tess, even if I don't think she's ever heard of this song -- it's as if it's a special chant that we share, and somehow the power of this song will reach her anyway...

15. Without Love (There Is Nothing)

Grand & epic, this song reminds us of the basics. You know, 'the good things in life are free,' and all that. It's a bit kitschy in a way. But that's ok. So am I. I cry to this song when I'm in the proper mood to be thankful for all I do have.


16. Motherless Child

This song works on a primal level. The bass, the rhythm, and the repetitive lyrics. If you are one final stroke away from primal screams, listen to this track, and go with it.

17. With These Hands

A ballad, full of soft caresses, promises, and Tom's voice. Years ago, a friend once told me she imagines her yet-to-be-found-soul-mate crooning this to her. I'm ok with Tom doing it.


18. Help Yourself

Ahh, another gem. Tom's referring to himself as candy on shelf, and I ought to help myself. It's sweet & syrupy -- what candied offering isn't? Stop analyzing it, feel free to enjoy love & sex as a simple euphemism. (Libby, stop rolling your eyes!)

19. Burning Down the House - The Cardigans

More 80's memories. Talking Heads, dance floors, youth & more stories than I can shake a stick at. Personally, I'd rather shake my hips. And this song let's you do that too. A lovely up-beat ending to a nostalgic, emotional CD. A CD of my life. Not that my life, nor Tom's career is over. I eagerly await the next few years.

The Bottom Line: If you're Jonesing, this CD is it. If you aren't a fan of Tom, and that's a mystery by itself, I'm sure you'll still enjoy the pop culture smorgasbord.