When I rang George Ezra for a natter recently, I was surprised that he recalled a conversation from six months earlier. It is conventional for musicians, no matter how far down the food chain, to treat journalists with a haughty disregard: the fact that he remembered me was in some ways a shock.
I have the impression from our conversations that Ezra, a 21 year old from southern England, is a very decent bloke – he’s chipper, unpretentious, and not in the least bit precious about his craft. Which explains in part at least why I actively wanted to like this record. And there are things to like. Hit single ‘Budapest’ is a classic white soul-pop song of unrequited love. And ‘Cassy O’’ offers compelling evidence that Ezra is interested in channelling the ghost of Elvis Presley. He looks the part too, as his legion of female fans have no doubt noticed.
The trouble is that I am not nearly as naturally sunny as the singer. From my admittedly warped perspective, a surfeit of niceness bedevils Ezra’s debut, many of his strummy ballads proceeding from sunny optimism (‘Drawing Board’) to romantic swooning (‘Breakaway’) and all the way around again. Only the malingering ‘Did You Hear The Rain?’ identifies a more tortured artist trying to break free.
Ezra is upfront that he isn’t a songwriter plagued by demons: life’s good, why would he pretend otherwise? And he makes bright and sunny music which reflects that. While his honesty is refreshing, there are times when Wanted On Voyage cries out for some storm clouds to disrupt the endless sunshine. Then again, he is only 21. He is entitled to be carefree – for as long as it lasts.