photo courtesy of Knyvet

Album Review of Robert Ellis Orrall: Wonderland (Infinity Cat Recordings)

Robert Ellis Orrall is a talented singer-songwriter. He has penned singles for the likes of Carlene Carter, Shenandoah, Clay Walker, Taylor Swift, and Reba McEntire, has produced, has been an indie label head. He has also recorded and released his own music through the years. In fact, I was planning to review his previous album, Wrong Thing, but before it reached the top of my review queue, Wonderland dropped, so I slipped the new release into its place in the queue. They’re both damn fine discs, but I’m not reviewing two albums, so here’s my take on the newer one, Wonderland. And if you dig it, check out REO’s back catalog, for sure! No, not Speedwagon, dude – that’s Robert Ellis Orrall’s initials. You know, but also Speedwagon, too, sure. In fact, I’d dig seeing REO and REO on a double-bill.

As for the album, it’s a great rock ‘n roll singer-songwriter album. There are a couple outstanding records from the ’00s that have long filled this lane for me – Martin Briley’s 2006 release It Comes in Waves and John Waite’s 2004 release The Hard Way. And less than two months ago, I made the Briley comparison in my review of Robert Scheffler’s 2025 release Truce. Now, with Robert Ellis Orrall’s Wonderland, I have two new albums to pair with my old rock ‘n roll singer-songwriter favorites. Of course, it’s more than just that they’re rockin’ singer-songwriters – I’ve reviewed plenty of those without making this comparison. Rather, it’s this particular rock ‘n roll style. There’s a distinct soaring, heartfelt emotionally appealing edge to these songs. They seem very big-cityish – no, don’t ask me to explain that because I can’t. There’s a hint of that in some of Gavin DeGraw’s ’00s and ’10s releases, though DeGraw had a different flourish in his music. This particular big city-ness is also there in many Billy Joel’s songs, particularly his ’70s work. It’s just… well, it’s big-city rock ‘n roll singer-songwriter music!

image courtesy of Knyvet

Five years ago, Orrall reformed his old ’80s era band, the group that released several albums on RCA – Orrall (vocals, keyboards), Kook Lawry (guitars), Don Walden (bass), and David Stefanelli (drums and percussion). Since reforming, the band has released five albums, most recently Wonderland.

Orrall kicks off Wonderland with its title track. Soulful, pleading, soaring, “Wonderland” leads with its simple piano atop an orchestral soundbed. It’s almost Disney love story-ish in its styling, yet old-school adult contemporary radio-friendly, as well.

“Brand New Me,” next, opens with a soft rock guitar riff – right there cementing for me the Briley comparison – lifting itself into an an edgily soaring tune of self-discovery, regret, and reminiscence. This may very well be my favorite song on this record. Or not; depending on my mood, I can say that about several of the way-cool tracks in this collection. Probably usually one of my top two, at least, though.

“I’m Coming With You” adds a hint of Athens-era alt-rock in the guitar riffs, adding a new flavor – nifty original seasoning, at least – to this mid-tempo soft-rocker. It’s followed by “Carol Ann,” which borrows a bit from pop-friendly progressive rock (and also, sometimes, hints of the Beatles) in its musical phrasing; while the style is consistent with the rest of the disc, the nuances from song to song are likely to appeal to a slightly different subset of fans, meaning every song will be someone’s favorite. I’d bet any prog-leaning soft rocker is gonna especially dig “Carol Ann.”

photo courtesy of Knyvet

“I Disappear” is a classic guitar rock-style ballad in song structure, but with a softer touch than the songs typically categorized as such, leaning into softer vocals and instrumentation but effectively tugging at all the same emotions, and I mean that in the best possible way. So if you wish your power ballads had a little less power and a little more ballad, this one’s going to be a special new find for you.

“When Will You Love Me Again” is well-placed, as a soft ballad like “I Disappear” most definitely should be followed by an uptempo tune. The song topic, too, is in line with what you’d expect on Wonderland, particularly once you realize its long-form album title is Wonderland and More Unrequited Love Songs. Clearly, from the song title alone you can predict “When Will You Love Me Again” will fit into that category, and it doesn’t disappoint, with the persistently pleading vocals and the lyrics that, well, maybe let’s not look too closely at the lyrics lest they result in a restraining order.

“Underground,” at least, adds some perkier music, and in fact you’ll probably begin singing along with “So if you’re wondering where I am right now, I’ve gone underground. Bah, bah bah bah, bah. Bah, bah bah bah!” Truthfully, you’ll probably mostly just sing along with the “bah bah”s, but still, fun and catchy.

“Where Do We Go From Here” is another soft rocker with a somewhat stringy orchestral soundbed that’ll tug at your emotions, as will “I’m Only Me (When I’m With You).” This one’s a classic love ballad, supported even more orchestrally, rising and falling with the song’s moods. You may find this one incredibly romantic (or you may not, depending on how you interpret the lyrics, but I’ll let you decide for yourself because I don’t want to ruin it for you). But wow, it’s powerful!

And then the record closes with the second song that’s most likely to be my favorite. It’s “End Title Song.” Just as it sounds, it’s an ode to the end title songs of movies. It’s upbeat, uptempo, cheerful, and earnestly delivered, which is the only way a song as conceptually playful (silly?) as this one works. It’s a song worthy of Weird Al. If you consider that a supreme compliment, as I do, then you’ll love “End Title Song.” It’s also, cleverly, the final song on the record. Really, the sole departure from an album devoted almost exclusively to its subtitled topic, and exceptionally so.

If you dig heartfelt, singer-songwriter soft rock, with love songs (mostly of the unrequited variety) even a little bit, you’ll love this record.