The Lead and How to Swing It is the 33rd studio album by Welsh singer Tom Jones, released in 1994. It includes the singles "If I Only Knew", which reached number 11 in the UK singles chart,[1] and "I Wanna Get Back with You", featuring Tori Amos, which reached number 94.[1]
In a review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that on The Lead and How to Swing It, Jones had recorded "with several of the hippest names in dance music" of that time. He described the album's title as "clumsy", and opined that the album is "neither true to Tom Jones' core audience nor appealing to Gen Xers, simply because it doesn't feature Jones doing what he does best -- famous songs written by other people. Instead, it's a set of written-to-order dance numbers that are immaculately produced and sung, yet hardly engaging." He concluded the review by saying that the songs on the album are "devoid of the camp factor that made [Jones'] version of Prince's "Kiss" so entertaining."[2]
