ACL Review: George Ezra

George Ezra comes off almost as a fantasy. The 22-year-old songwriter’s swooning pop croon launched a litany of sighs and selfies in closing down the Austin Ventures stage Friday night.

Photo by Shelley Hiam

From his boyishly rakish charm and thick Bristol accent to his tales of traveling across Europe, it’s easy to understand the youthful appeal to the escapist aura that Ezra carries. Combined with his improbably deep and supple vocals, and knack for indelible hooks and melodies, he’s a potential pop star that college kids could comfortably bring back home to their parents.

Opening with “Cassy O’” and the danceable pulse of “Stand By Your Gun” from promising debut LP Wanted On Voyage, Ezra quickly got the crowd moving by sliding into the easy sway of “Listen to the Man.” Live favorite “Song 6” showed more depth to the young songwriter before the quartet left the stage for his solo take on Bob Dylan’s “Girl From the North Country” and “Leaving It Up To You,” the latter awkwardly playful as he attempted the female backing parts himself.

Ezra managed to work through a brisk 14 songs in his hourlong set, though his cover of Macy Gray’s “I Try” should’ve been left on the frat-band floor. Still, his raw talent and allure emerged with the double-shot of “Barcelona” and “Budapest,” and the bruising guitar barrage of closer “Did You Hear the Rain.” The latter tilting toward industrial heaviness suggested a potential to Ezra beyond restless strumming travelogues.