s="h3color tiny">This review is from: Alone in the Universe (Audio CD)

First off, love the 3-D cover, and the inner sleeve artwork with all the little touches like photos of Jeff as a kid, and the old radio.Now on to the songs!When I Was A Boy - Loved it from the first time I heard it. Melancholy and slightly sad feel, but a hopeful song about holding on tight to your dreams(to paraphrase another ELO song).Love And Rain - I get the "Showdown" comparison, but this song stands out as being something special. Laura Lynne has some pipes! A great soul/R&B throwback, but with a modern touch that doesn't make it feel dated. Almost like an old Al Green song, or a new Alabama Shakes song! Great guitar solo, and the little bridge towards the end is outright brilliant. What a song!Dirty To The Bone - A sunny sounding pop song, with the lyrics being a total contrast to the musical feel of the track. Wonder is this is about Rosie Vela? haha. Love Jeff's dry, upfront vocal parts ("she'll deceive you til the...Read more

I will start by confessing that I am a Jeff Lynne fanboy. Very rarely does he disappoint me, whether he is writing and producing for others or for himself. The new album is no exception. I became a fan of E.L.O. back in 1981 when I was in sixth grade. My best friend played me some of his sister's E.L.O. 8-tracks and I was hooked. "Time" was released that year as well and it was over for me. That is still my favorite album of all time. I can truly say that I love every era of the Electric Light Orchestra. I may even be the only person on earth who believes that "Balance Of Power" is a great album. I remember squealing like a little girl when I walked into a record store back in 2001 and saw "Zoom" on the shelf. I didn't know that he had even released it so it was like Christmas and my birthday all rolled up into one. That being said, I have patiently waiting for new music from Jeff Lynne ever since. I have tried to keep up with all of the things he's done in the...Read more