JEFF LYNNE is best known for his work with ELO, but this is his first solo album for about 22 years. It's not the sort of album I would usually review for the site, but it's got quite a bit of charm to it, even if it's nothing ground breaking.

The album title comes from Lynne's love of listening to his father's long wave crystal radio when he was a youngster. And that also explains the songs that he's covered for this album - mostly centered around 50's and 60's hits, and includes classics such as "She", "At Last" and "Smile", but with a JEFF LYNNE spin on them. This isn't anything that's going to astound people, but you get the feeling that that wasn't what he is going for. I think he just wants to pay homage to the songs of his childhood, which may have helped shape him as a musician. Although I think what will astound people is the fact that he pretty much produced this whole album single handedly. He sang, played all the instruments, and arranged the music. You can tell that a lot of love and a lot of time has been put into "Long Wave", and it shows how much Lynne loves the music he's picked.

And there's not one bit of this album that he's slacked on. His vocals aren't going to win any awards any time soon, but there's a lot of love in it, and fondness for the words he's singing. Using his time in ELO well, he's put this expertise into arranging the vocals and the music to fantastic effect. The songs retain their original charm, but Lynne has made them into his own. He's a very talented man and has produced an album with a lot of quality, one that is very slick and tight. He plays all the instruments so well, and he's arranged them perfectly so that they're balanced, but if one needs to stand out, it does.

So if you're looking for an ELO album, I'm afraid you're in the wrong place. And I know this is a hell of a lot softer than many of you are used to. But it's nice, it's charming, it's nostalgic, and it might just be what you're looking for.