If you were a resident of the UK or listen to UK radio then you would not have gone “Who?” like you did when you read the artist’s name on top of this review. George Ezra is the 21-year-old Bristol born musician who exploded onto the scene last year with the release of Wanted on Voyage, his debut album. As a sign of his popularity he scored the opening slot on Irish singer Hozier’s North American tour. With the two first singles off the album, “Budapest” and “Blame It On Me”, George Ezra showed brought music fans a brand of indie rock that is a combo of modern R&B and American folk. Then his voice, which is so smoky that you won’t believe it comes out of a white 21-year-old, harkens back to singer songwriters who used to perform in small coffee shops in the sixties. The lyricism owes much to the likes of Guthrie and Dylan. A more modern comparison would be to Jack Johnson or Ed Sheeran. Timeless is a word that often gets thrown about but this guy is the real deal; his music could come out of and be popular in almost any era. These are not songs that you are going to get sick of. He keeps the lyrics simple so the stories are easily followed and many like “Cassy O” are so catchy that you’ll be stomping your foot along in time.
George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage
