From Out Of Nowhere (Jeff Lynne's ELO Album)

''From Out of Nowhere'' is the fourteenth studio album by British rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and the second credited to Jeff Lynne's ELO. The band's first studio album in four years, it was released on 1 November 2019 through Big Trilby and Columbia Records. The title track was released as the lead single on 26 September 2019. Lynne played most instruments on the album. Keyboardist Richard Tandy returned to play on one track, marking his final appearance on an ELO album prior to his death in 2024.

Background

Lynne stated that the first track he wrote for the album was the title track, and said it was named "From Out of Nowhere" as "that's exactly where it came from". Its themes of "hope and salvation" and optimism also appear throughout the album.

From Out of Nowhere Tour

In January 2020, Jeff Lynne's ELO announced a tour that would take place across the UK, Europe, and Ireland. On 15 May, the tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Critical reception

''From Out of Nowhere'' was met with generally favorable reviews upon its release. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, ''From Out of Nowhere'' received generally positive reviews based on a weighted average score of 70 out of 100 from 9 critic reviews. The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? compiled 7 reviews and gave the album an average of 6.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

''Classic Rock''s Everett True rated it four stars, describing ''From Out of Nowhere'' as "comforting" and "a sparkling continuation of ynnereturn to form". Michael Hann of ''The Guardian'' highlighted the "good-natured" nature and its alignment with classic ELO sounds but missing the mark of their previous work. John M. Borack of ''Goldmine'' highlighted Lynne's melodic prowess and the albums enjoyable nature, noting that tracks such as "From Out of Nowhere," "Goin' Out on Me," and "All My Love" were particularly notable, but criticized Lynn's drum sound as a point of contention for some listeners.

In more mixed reviews, AllMusic rated the album three stars, stating that ''From Out of Nowhere'' problem is "The melodies don't easily lodge in the subconscious, but the bigger problem is that the production - by Lynne, who plays virtually every note on the record - is airless and precise." '' Uncut'' stated that Lynn is "at his best as the world's greatest Beatles tribute act." Lauren Murphy of ''The Irish Times'' wrote that while the album is "enjoyable and well-constructed" she suggested that the album lacks innovation and risks sounding stagnant due to Lynn sticking to "ghosts of the past on several of these songs."

''The Daily Telegraph''s Neil McCormick praised the album for being "fundamentally sound" but heavily criticized the lack of innovation towards the album stating "In terms of chord progressions, melody, rhythm and even lyrical subject matter there is nothing on ''From Out of Nowhere'' that advances much further than about 1965. In terms of production, you could add another decade. ''From Out of Nowhere'' could be an ELO album from 40 years ago." ''The Arts Desk'' reviewer Nick Hasted critical review of the album as focusing on the album's lack of new ideas and its reliance on past formulas and rehashing of earlier ELO work rather than a "forward-thinking" project.

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from ''Stereogum'', the official press release, and the album liner notes.
* Jeff Lynne – vocals, guitars, bass guitar, piano, drums, keyboards, cello on "Losing You", vibraphone, mixing
* Richard Tandy – piano solo on "One More Time"
* Steve Jay – engineering, mixing, tambourine, shakers

Additional personnel
* Bob Ludwig – mastering
* Ryan Corey – art direction, design, illustration
* Joseph Cultice – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

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2019 albums
Electric Light Orchestra albums
Albums produced by Jeff Lynne
Columbia Records albums
Orchestral pop albums