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If I didn’t
know this one was released in 2001 I would swear I’d either
uncovered a lost album from the prolific 1980’s repertoire of
Jeff Lynne and ELO or an equally lost album from the 90’s
power group “Traveling Wilburys.”
But lo and behold, “Zoom” is from the new Millennium
and, believe it or not, Lynne and company sound just as good (if
not better) as ever! Jeff
Lynne has always come across as a perfectionist – in search of
a sound that just isn’t right unless it’s perfect.
“Zoom” is a great example of this perfectionism.
While some argue that the engineering involved in a
typical ELO project creates an end result sorely lacking in
spontaneity, the resulting sounds are instantly recognizable,
friendly to the ear and, even a little fun sometimes.
The first four
tracks, “Alright,” “Moment in Paradise,” and “State of Mind” sound like
they could have come from the same recording session as the last
ELO album (when was that anyway?
Were your kids even born yet?!), while “Easy Money”
and “It Really Doesn’t Matter” are, as previously stated,
cut from the mold of “Traveling Wilburys”
Standouts for
me, personally, are the melancholy beat and precision harmonies
of “A Long Time Gone.”
This song doesn’t exactly put me in mow mood to mow the
lawn or jog a mile, but the pensiveness of the lyrics draw me in
and turn my mind inward to think of days gone by – not
necessarily a bad quality in a song!
“Lonesome
Lullaby” and “Stranger on a Quiet Street” are the best of
the baker’s dozen here with the former being just an all
around classic ELO song and the latter being one of the most
radio-friendly-without-the-over-the-top-bullshit songs I’ve
heard in a long time. A
couple of the songs linger a little longer than they should or
sound more than vaguely like other ELO tunes past and present,
but there really isn’t a bad one in the bunch.
The
ultimate prognosis? This is an ELO lover’s ELO album. There is no new ground broken here. If you’re a fan of the band as I am, you’ll probably
appreciate this first ELO CD of the century.
If you’re too young to remember what an ELO is (It’s
Electric Light Orchestra if you didn’t already know) this one
probably isn’t the best of the breed to make you want to find
out.
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| Artist |
ELO |
| Title |
Zoom |
| Label |
Sony |
| Reviewer |
Robert Lewis |
| Rating |
 |
|
 |
| website |
ELO
Home Site |
| win stuff |
 |
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