Like its predecessor, Alone in the Universe, this album is entirely good-natured, firmly in the lineage of classic ELO, without ever quite hitting the heights of the past. ... How far this autumnal romance will go remains to be seen but, for now, what a pleasure it is to have Lynne back.
The wistfulness, the super-saturated sound, the layered harmonies and instrumentation, the timeless echo of pasts and retro-futures colliding. The humanity, the performed frailty at the heart of manufactured perfection. Lynne still has it. He still knows how to create the magic.
It's warmly unreal how in thrall he remains to The Beatles, from melodic progressions down to the thwack of drums, but these heartache-powered ballads retain a simple elation at the power of rock'n'roll. [Jan 2020, p.110]
From Out of Nowhere isn’t going to be turning heads in 2019 with its lackluster production and, at times, generic lyricism. But it does remind us that Jeff Lynne is one of pop music’s greatest hook writers, and that skill isn’t easily forgotten.
Great to hear new music from Jeff Lynne's ELO. He plays all instruments and all vocals, with help from Richard Tandy on keyboards and hisGreat to hear new music from Jeff Lynne's ELO. He plays all instruments and all vocals, with help from Richard Tandy on keyboards and his sound engineer for percussion. Jeff can do whatever he likes in his studio and produce amazing music. Listen to the album more than once and the tunes begin to stick and pop out ... that's the treat. Gone are the days of tracks backwards snippets and intro tracks, songs fading into each other ... they are firmly in the past. Enjoy each track stand-alone for the polish and care that Jeff has put into each one. Listen with headphones for the best sound and wonder at the skill of a master.…Expand
41 years after becoming an ELO fan, I still waited as eagerly for a new album as back in the band's heyday. I was not disappointed. There is a41 years after becoming an ELO fan, I still waited as eagerly for a new album as back in the band's heyday. I was not disappointed. There is a renewed energy and sincerity to Jeff Lynne's songwriting and performance here, perhaps helped by his interaction with hundreds of thousands of grateful fans on tour over the last four years. Lynne actually acknowledges this in the lyrics to two songs, „Time Of Our Life“ and „One More Time“. I'm a sucker for the ballads and will rank „Losing You“ and „Songbird“ among Lynne's most beautiful songs. I also particularly like his experiment with a Latino rhythm on „All My Love“, in a similar vein to „Blue“, a bonus song on the last album. Yes, the ELO sound has developed and become smaller, which some people seem to lament. This is still so unmistakably Jeff Lynne's unique sound, with the chord changes giving you the occasional outbreak of goosebumps. To me, it is almost unbelievable what one of rock's best songwriters and producers can accomplish alone in his studio, playing every instrument himself - and this incredible voice just doesn't seem to age! Not his best work, but close enough.…Expand
Its not as charming or polished as the ELO of 'A New World Record' or 'Out of the Blue', but this album, when compared with the previous twoIts not as charming or polished as the ELO of 'A New World Record' or 'Out of the Blue', but this album, when compared with the previous two albums, 'From Out of Nowhere' is a return to form, and it has a couple of honestly catchy songs. I'd rank this among their albums somewhere in the middle.…Expand
Jeff Lynne tries to reboot the ELO magic for the second time, and like the first time he tried it, it's okay. But was okay ever enough for theJeff Lynne tries to reboot the ELO magic for the second time, and like the first time he tried it, it's okay. But was okay ever enough for the original ELO? Their music was inventive, original, fairly manic a lot of the time, and quirky. Here the edges are sanded off, the tempos are mostly mid-to-slow, and the songs are relatively slight and sterile, missing quirks and the spark that made ELO a vibrant entity in the past despite its cartoonish tendencies (hell, that was a big part of its appeal). Maybe the ELO name should have stayed retired since Lynne basically makes George Harrison albums now. And try as he might, and though he may come close once in awhile, this album once again verifies Lynne is no George Harrison, which isn't a surprise. The worse surprise is that he obviousy isn't ELO anymore either.…Expand
The biggest mistake you can make is trying to compare this album to any ELO album (excluding Zoom). Jeff Lynne has had so many producing jobsThe biggest mistake you can make is trying to compare this album to any ELO album (excluding Zoom). Jeff Lynne has had so many producing jobs after Balance of Power came out, his sound and technique and producing skill have changed tremendously. What survived throughout the years though is Jeff's love for interesting chord changes and accompanying melodies.
From out of Nowhere really from time to time gives you the feeling that you've heard this one before as the sound is very comparable to all other solo efforts from the past. Despite of that, Jeff managed to add some new sounds we've not really heard him doing before. For example All My Love and Sci-Fi Woman.
The production on this album is near perfect and not necessarily in a good way. It sounds like some songs are heavily copy and pasted together and notes sound dead on on the beat. Maybe it's the curse of the digital age where all of this is possible, and a trap to all veteran producers who learned how to overdub with tape machines. Besides that, all songs are loud, even the "sweet closer" Songbird has loud drums that are audible throughout the whole album. There is really a wall of sound going on and some songs sound claustrophobic, no instrument is getting space to breath. In turn strummed guitars, piano and jeff's "signature" bag of sand snare tone makes the record sound muffled.
This record proves again that Jeff Lynne alone is not capable of writing the hits from the mid 70s or more "prog" endeavors of the early 70s. Jeff (the control freak he is) could really use the help of other musicians to brighten up the songs and make them more dynamic.…Expand
