It was clear back in late 2013 when English singer/songwriter, George Ezra, began to gather some attention that he was going to go on to have a solid career in music. But the extent to which that career has flourished and grown in the years since was surely beyond anything that could have been imagined, and is testament to the power that could pop music can have.

One of the most interesting things about Ezra is how his song has changed the path of his career has developed down through the years. During his breakout period, Ezra appeared to focus on moody and soulful numbers that made use of his awesome deep voice. Songs like Get Lonely With Me from his debut EP in March 2014, and Did You Hear The Rain? (in this blog’s opinion, still his best song) and Spectacular Rival of his debut album, Wanted On Voyage, seemed to suggest at the main direction that Ezra would pursue.

But, that would seem to change in 2018 with the release of Ezra’s eagerly awaited second album, Staying at Tamara’s, and more pertinently, the release of the single, Shotgun. This track would go on to become the biggest single of his career to date, and would reflect an album that saw him moving more towards a radio friendly pop sound that would take over the airwaves for the coming years.

In recent weeks, George Ezra has released his third album, Gold Rush Kid, and it has continued the theme of pop sounding albums that exist to make you dance and tap your foot. It remains a marked difference from the sound that had initially gained him recognition in 2013, and it is a shift that is slightly disappointing giving the promise of those early tracks.

However, there still remain hints that Ezra may return to explore that deeper and more moody sound again at some point. The most recent hint, the excellent new single, Dance All Over Me.

From the very outset there is something different about this song. There is definite tonal shift from what is present on the rest of the album, and the sound of Ezra recently. There is immediately a darker atmosphere to the song, with echoed vocals by the performer starting the song. The instrumentation is heavy, with excellent use being made of strings and piano to build the atmosphere and feel that is different from other recent offerings by George Ezra.

Dance All Over Me feels like the sound that many early fans of the artist thought that he would continue to pursue with his career. But with fame and popularity, Ezra has decided to move to a more pop heavy sound, and who can blame him – it has seen his career explode in recent years. However, here’s hoping that he might someday return to give his kind of sound another look.

More of this please, George.

MK