ZOOM - E.L.O.

Classic E.L.O. music has always been stuck in its own retro-futuristic time warp of recombinant pop. Inside that image of E.L.O.'s spaceship (here updated without the 8-track docking bay), one imagines a ye olde discotheque stuffed with Beatles mannequins and powered by pump organ synthesizers. The genius of Jeff Lynne is to fuse kindergarten rock & roll, ultra-Liverpudlian choruses, and faux-symphonic instrumentation with a pop that's both sappy and supple. With only a few duff tracks, this timeless, invigorating disc is a rocking, left-field surprise. Talk about a comeback--Zoom is nothing short of a revelation for fans of this critically underappreciated group. Lynne sings on the opening cut, "Alright," that "You've got to hold onto something that you believe / Hold onto something that makes you feel alright," and the entire album bears this out with grace and wit.

1. Alright
2. Moment In Paradise
3. State Of Mind
4. Just For Love
5. Stranger On A Quiet Street
6. In My Own Time
7. Easy Money
8. It Really Doesn't Matter
9. Ordinary Dream
10. A Long Time Gone
11. Melting In The Sun
12. All She Wanted
13. Lonesome Lullaby