Album Review: George Ezra - Staying At Tamara's

English singer-songwriter George Ezra's pipes sure are something else.

His rich, baritone is quite at home atop rock pop, roots pop, blues pop or whatever you want to label the output of the youngster. Pieced together, it's an interesting, upbeat blend of sounds that is instantly likeable and weaves a nostalgic, transporting kind of magic. Ezra now brings us Staying At Tamara's after his lauded debut.

Opener Pretty Shining People offers up that rousing talk of "change" - "In the car, talking 'bout America"; "Took it in turns to dream about the lottery" - and in other settings from other artists it would most definitely reek of cliche, but Ezra's lovely voice and an uplifting, mantra-like chorus give it an earthy substance. The sassy horns and percussive slaps in single Don't Matter Now get under your skin in a good way, the racing offbeat drumming in Paradise underlines a rare falsetto from Ezra and Hold My Girl dips into some sweet, melancholic crooning to add some much-needed shade to an album full of light.