Liverpool Sound and Vision * * * *

From Out Of Nowhere can come, if we are fortunate, illumination or belief, if we are ill-fated to find that nowhere is where we could be heading, then belief in the way we have lived can be considered nothing, a personal trip in to the void of expression and the blackness of the times we inhabit.

It takes a soul of kindness to pull us out of the darkness, one to whom we are comfortable with and for whom we understand doesn’t ask anything in return except to listen to the tales they have penned, and regardless of whether the art is appreciated at the time, we know it is there, patiently building a bond to which has always been part of the solution, part of the fabric of placing a smile on the face and installing trust.

Birmingham’s Jeff Lynne has that knack of coming along just at the right time, whether it is on his own, with friends, heroes or under the banner of ELO, there is something comforting to find within his music, an element of grace denied to so many. This is once more in evidence as he showcases a feel of serenity and guile in the most Birmingham way, one that could even be described as humble and From Out Of Nowhere is a fitting way to end the decade in which he has resurfaced as one of the nation’s much loved music producers and musicians.

With support from Steve Jay on tambourine and shakers and Richard Tandy on piano for the track One More Time, From Out Of Nowhere extols the privilege of being kind, of the soft tone to get the message across. The album arguably lacks the highest conviction of surround sound that was a fixture during ELO’s early days, even missing out perhaps on the exuberance of youth when part of The Move but then reflection and peace are denied so many and in peace comes a different kind of power, one that is easier to spread to the listener and as songs such as Help yourself, Down Came The Rain, Sci-Fi Woman and Time Of Our Life takes over the air surrounding the space between the listener and the machine, peace becomes an obvious, necessary, part of existence.

From Out Of Nowhere is an album that signals the point of grace, that time does not have to be dominated by the loud and unbearable, it is to the softly spoken we should pay more attention to, and instead of being nowhere, we can say that the positive is now here.

Jeff Lynne’s ELO’s From Out Of Nowhere is out now.

Ian D. Hall