From Out of Nowhere (Jeff Lynne's ELO album)

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.^[4][5]

In January 2020, Jeff Lynne's ELO announced a tour that would take place across the UK, Europe, and Ireland.^[6][7] On 15 May, the tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[8]

More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.4/10[9]
Metacritic	70/100[10]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
American Songwriter	[12]
Classic Rock	[13]
The Daily Telegraph	[14]
Goldmine	[15]
The Guardian	[16]
The Arts Desk	[17]
Consequence	F
The Irish Times	[18]

Close

From Out of Nowhere was met with generally favourable 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.^[19] 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.^[9]

Classic Rock's Everett True rated it four stars, describing From Out of Nowhere as "comforting" and "a sparkling continuation of [Lynne] return to form".^[13] 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.^[16] 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 Lynne's drum sound as a point of contention for some listeners.^[15]

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."^[11] Uncut stated that Lynne is "at his best as the world's greatest Beatles tribute act."^[19] 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 Lynne sticking to "ghosts of the past on several of these songs."^[18]

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."^[14] 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.^[17]

Adapted from Stereogum,^[20] the official press release,^[21] and the album liner notes.^[1]

• 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