English singer George Ezra released his first album in 2014, immediately receiving high-praise and reaching number one in the UK charts. Though he’s 24, his deep and rich voice makes it hard to believe he is anything but sage and mature.
“Staying at Tamara’s” is Ezra’s second studio album in signature folk-pop style.
Second track “Don’t Matter Now” was released as the lead single from the new album. There is a clear message which Ezra spoke of in an interview, saying he wrote the song to remind himself to step outside of situations from time to time.
It is clear coming to the third track that this album is about dealing with anxiety. The third song ‘Get Away’ sings: “It’s never been this way before / shut down by anxiety.” It is a short, heart-racing type of tune that matches the anxiety it speaks of.
The fourth track is set to be the most popular coming into summer 2018, ‘Shotgun’ is the kind of song that you would play in the car with all the windows down when you’re on the way to the beach, and the lyrics depict just that.
Coming to the middle of the album, the more upbeat and snare-driven tracks come into play. Ezra’s current popular single ‘Paradise’ brings relationships back into the theme. It’s the first track you can imagine really dancing to, and is currently in the top 20 of the Irish singles chart.
‘All my Love’ is like a recess between songs; more of lying-by-the-beach slowly drinking something with ice in it. Full of romance, this two-minutes and forty-seconds track seems like it fell from Ezra’s mind fully-formed.
The song ‘Sugarcoat’ seems like the artist’s take on the electro-pop love song, taking the concept and adapting it to his own style. The whole idea of having someone “by my side” is the focal point of the song.
Meanwhile, ‘Hold My Girl’ is more reminiscent of the Jason Mraz brand of love song. It is well-bodied and truly romantic instead of just repeated lines that all say the same thing about casual love and being afraid to be alone.
Ezra’s collaboration with First Aid Kit for the song ‘Saviour’ adds more dimensions to the singer’s style and creates a dark love song that feels too short. The song feels as if it could go further, but instead falls off a cliff.
The album closes with a personal and emotional ballad, longer than the other songs on the album at four and a half minutes. There is a female voice featured, background singer Florrie, and stands out from the rest. The slow rhythm and mystical lyrics complete the album nicely.
This album takes three or four songs to feel like it’s begun, and while the middle is very enjoyable and the album, when listened to in its entirety, it isn’t distasteful but it isn’t particularly special. For anyone who is not a big George Ezra fan, this album would be worth going through and picking out a few singles you enjoy.
Beibhinn Thorsch