George Ezra’s new album, Staying at Tamara’s, is packed full of familiar and enjoyable content; nostalgia for old fans and inviting for new listeners.
The album contains three discs, and a total of 11 different songs ranging from hopelessly romantic to celebrating the human spirit with feel-good vibes. Disc one and two are each half of the album, with disc three being all 11 together.
While the choice seems like an initial waste of material, or justification for a higher cost, this could be Ezra’s symbolic and nihilistic attitude towards love.
Co-starring the band First Aid Kit, Ezra stars in a music video titled Savior, delving into the concept of how love can redeem and revitalize, but do the opposite in its absence. The opening line reflects this, stating, “Being your own savior, savior. Is it saving you?” referencing unreciprocated love.
The song titled Shotgun, taken from the perspective of the passenger’s seat of a car, details summer time happiness and overall bliss towards a fair-weathered day: “South of the equator, navigator, hit the road”.
Following Shotgun is Paradise, a song following in suit with the ideal summer experience and teaching a girl to love with the line, “I know you’ve heard it from these other boys, but this time its real, something that I’m feeling.”
Ezra establishes trust with a romantic partner who had been hurt previously. Staying at Tamara’s deviates enough from Ezra’s usual sound to keep up with modern times, yet his vocals pay homage to his earlier works. The song called Get Away details trying to escape a reality full of responsibilities, “It’s never been this way before Shut down by anxiety”.
The song Hold my Girl deals with honesty in a relationship despite any emotions that are evoked, “I’ve been waiting for you to come around and tell me the truth about everything you’re going through.” This song is an expression of unconditional and unbiased love, even when the circumstances seem dire.
With no shortage of catchy tunes to hum along to and relate to, the album keeps audiences entertained for hours. It’s a solid four out of five stars and is worth the $10.88 for the CD. The album doesn’t hold the same impact as earlier studio releases, but is still a major success and is worth the listening experience.