🌪️ When a Legend Is Left Behind by Time
By the late 1990s, Tom Jones — the voice behind classics like “It’s Not Unusual”, “Delilah”, and “What’s New Pussycat” — was in an odd place in his career.
He remained a “legend” to middle-aged fans and could still sell out Las Vegas shows, but to younger audiences, Tom Jones had become a caricature of the past — the shirt-unbuttoned lounge singer, the recipient of flying underwear, the sexy crooner of a bygone era.
To many, Tom Jones was a walking relic.
But Tom didn’t see himself that way. He wasn’t ready to fade into nostalgia.
🎧 A Wild Idea – And an Album That Made No Sense on Paper
In 1999, Tom Jones launched a project that seemed completely out of left field: a covers album packed with collaborations across genres and generations.
The album was titled “Reload” — a not-so-subtle metaphor for recharging his creative ammunition.
It was genre-bending and unpredictable. From alternative rock to trip-hop, funk to soul, Tom teamed up with artists like The Cardigans, Wyclef Jean, Stereophonics, Portishead, Robbie Williams, and more.
This wasn’t a legacy artist phoning it in — it was a 59-year-old artist throwing himself headfirst into the fire of modern music.
🔥 “Sex Bomb” – And the Hit That No One Saw Coming
If there’s one song that defines Reload, it’s “Sex Bomb” — a funky, tongue-in-cheek, and irresistibly catchy track.
Produced by German DJ Mousse T., the song featured a punchy dance groove, an infectious hook, and just the right amount of seductive swagger. And when Tom’s gravelly voice kicked in, the whole thing just worked.
“Sex Bomb” became a massive hit, charting in the Top 10 across more than 10 countries and dominating dance floors across Europe.
Suddenly, the very people who once mocked Tom Jones as “old school” were now dancing to his beat — literally.
👊 Not Just a Trend Grab – But a Thoughtful Reinvention
Reload wasn’t a gimmicky attempt at relevance. Tom Jones didn’t just slap his voice onto trendy tracks.
Every cover was chosen carefully — songs he genuinely connected with, songs he wanted to interpret through his own lens.
“Burning Down the House” by Talking Heads, reimagined with The Cardigans, was wild and electric.
“Motherless Child” with Portishead was haunting and deeply spiritual.
“Looking Out My Window” had a slick R&B vibe.
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with Cerys Matthews was cheeky, charming, and totally unexpected.
At every turn, Tom didn’t try to sound younger. He leaned into his age, his experience, his unmistakable voice — and turned each track into a conversation between generations.
🏆 The Best-Selling Album of His UK Career — After 30+ Years
Reload became the best-selling album of Tom Jones’s career in the UK, outperforming even his biggest records from the 1960s and ’70s.
It proved that longevity in music isn’t about clinging to the past — it’s about evolving with purpose.
He wasn’t just a vintage voice anymore. He was a timeless artist — capable of bridging the golden age of Las Vegas with the clubs and radios of a brand-new century.
💬 A Message to the Younger Generation
The success of Reload sent a clear message:
“I don’t have to sound young to make great music. I just have to sound like me.”
In interviews, Tom was direct and humble:
“I didn’t try to be trendy. I just picked songs I liked and sang them the only way I know how.”
That honesty — that refusal to chase youth — is exactly what made Reload resonate. Instead of pretending to be someone else, Tom Jones made being himself cooler than ever.
🎤 Not the Final Chapter – But the First Page of a New Book
Rather than being the final hurrah of a fading icon, Reload became a launching pad for the next phase of Tom Jones’s creative life.
In the years that followed, he released some of the most personal and critically acclaimed albums of his career: 24 Hours, Praise & Blame, Spirit in the Room, Surrounded by Time…
If Reload brought him back into the spotlight, those later records dug deep into his soul. He sang about mortality, regret, spirituality, and time — with rawness and emotional weight that only comes with age.
Tom didn’t just want applause anymore. He wanted to tell the truth.