Staying at Tamara's

(Redirected from Only a Human)

Staying at Tamara's is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter George Ezra. It was released on 23 March 2018. The album reached number one in the UK as well as the top ten of several other countries including Australia and New Zealand. The album includes the singles "Paradise" and "Shotgun", which peaked at number two and number one on the UK Singles Chart, respectively.

Staying at Tamara's
Studio album by
Released23 March 2018 (2018-03-23)
Recorded2017
StudioVoltaire Road, Clapham, London
Genre
Length37:13
LabelColumbia
Producer
George Ezra chronology
Wanted on Voyage
(2014)
Staying at Tamara's
(2018)
Gold Rush Kid
(2022)
Singles from Staying at Tamara's
  1. "Don't Matter Now"
    Released: 16 June 2017
  2. "Paradise"
    Released: 19 January 2018
  3. "Shotgun"
    Released: 18 May 2018
  4. "Hold My Girl"
    Released: 28 September 2018
  5. "Pretty Shining People"
    Released: 8 March 2019

It was the UK's best-selling artist album of the year in 2018 and was nominated for British Album of the Year at the 2019 Brit Awards.[3]

In support of the album, Ezra embarked on a 2018 world tour entitled, Staying at Tamara's Tour, mostly visiting cities across North America and Europe.

Background

edit

Ezra finished touring his debut album Wanted on Voyage (2014) in December 2016. Following this, he realised he "needed to write another record".[4] He went to Barcelona for a month, but instead of booking a hotel or apartment, he found a stranger on the Internet whose name was Tamara. "[She] was renting her spare room," he told The Sydney Morning Herald. "I thought, if she's a bit crazy, if she's a bit unhinged, I can just leave. Her friends were all musicians, artists and designers and her apartment really felt like their HQ. It helped slow me down. There was a point about halfway through the trip where I was like, this trip has proved to be really important ... and the album's name came to me like that. I love it."[5]

Singles

edit

Five singles have been released from the album. "Don't Matter Now" was released as the lead single on 16 June 2017. It was a moderate success in Belgium, Iceland and the Netherlands and gave Ezra his seventh top 75 entry on the UK Singles Chart. The second single released from the album was "Paradise", which peaked at number two, being kept off the top spot by Rudimental's "These Days". It also reached the top ten in Ireland, Belgium, Austria and Scotland.

"Shotgun" was released as the third single from the album on 18 May 2018; it reached number one on the UK Singles Chart on 29 June 2018 and gave Ezra his first UK number-one single.[6] "Hold My Girl" was released as the fourth single from the album in late-September. "Pretty Shining People" was released as the fifth single in early-March.

Promotional singles

edit

"Pretty Shining People" was released as the first promotional single from the album on 2 March 2018; it reached number 54 on the UK Singles Chart.The track was later selected as the album's fifth single in March 2019. "Hold My Girl" was released as the second and final promotional single on 9 March 2018, and reached number 81 on the UK Singles Chart. The track was later selected as the album's fourth single, and impacted radio in September 2018.

Critical reception

edit
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic61/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
DIY     [8]
Dork     [9]
God is in the TV          [10]
The Guardian     [11]
musicOMH     [12]
NME     [13]
The Observer     [14]
The Times     [15]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 61 based on seven reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]

Track listing

edit

All tracks are written by George Ezra Barnett and Joel Pott, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Pretty Shining People" (Barnett)3:32
2."Don't Matter Now"2:56
3."Get Away"2:34
4."Shotgun" (Barnett, Pott, Fred Gibson)3:21
5."Paradise" (Barnett)3:42
6."All My Love"2:40
7."Sugarcoat"3:22
8."Hold My Girl"3:31
9."Saviour" (featuring First Aid Kit)3:32
10."Only a Human"3:34
11."The Beautiful Dream"4:29
Total length:37:20

Personnel

edit

Musicians

  • George Ezra – vocals, guitar (all tracks); keyboards (tracks 1, 3–11), bass guitar (1, 3–7, 11); percussion, synthesizer (2); harmonium (3), drums (7)
  • Cam Blackwoodprogramming, synthesizer (all tracks); guitar (1–4, 6–11), percussion (1, 3, 5–11), piano (1, 5), bass guitar (1, 8, 9), keyboards (1), vocals (2, 3, 8), organ (2), background vocals (4, 6, 11), performance arrangement (8, 10), strings (8)
  • Matthew Racher – drums, percussion, programming (all tracks); background vocals (6)
  • Dan Grech-Marguerat – programming (tracks 1–7, 9–11)
  • Liam Thorne – percussion (tracks 1, 3–6), programming (2, 4–6, 9–11), synthesizer (2), vocals (2)
  • Florrie Arnold – vocals (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 11), drums (5), vocals (11)
  • The Atlantic Horns – brass (tracks 2, 4)
  • Billie Marten – vocals (track 2)
  • Joel Pott – background vocals (tracks 3, 4, 6, 7)
  • Rob Blackham – background vocals (track 3)
  • Jamie Sefton – flute (tracls 3, 10); flugelhorn, trombone, trumpet (3)
  • James Wyatt – organ (track 4), piano (8)
  • Ollie Hodge – background vocals (track 4)
  • Fred – bass guitar, drums, keyboards (track 4)
  • Emma Corby – brass (track 4)
  • Jaleesa Gemerts – drums (track 4)
  • Daniel Thomas – background vocals (track 6)
  • Derek Green – background vocals (track 6)
  • Juliet Roberts – background vocals (track 6)
  • Mary Pearce – background vocals (track 6)
  • Rebecca Goulding – background vocals (track 6)
  • Sylvia Mason – background vocals (track 6)
  • Dan Caplencello (track 8)
  • Davide Rossi – performance arrangement (track 8)
  • First Aid Kit – background vocals (track 9)
  • Duncan Eaglesalto saxophone, baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone (track 10)
  • Jimmy Sims – bass guitar (track 10)
  • Rae Morris – piano (track 10)

Technical

  • Cam Blackwood – production (all tracks), engineering (tracks 2, 6)
  • Fred – production (track 8)
  • Dave Kutchmastering
  • Dan Grech-Marguerat – mixing (tracks 1–7, 9–11)
  • Michael H. Brauer – mixing (track 8)
  • Liam Thorne – engineering
  • Dan Trachtenberg – engineering (track 4)
  • Jon Bailey – engineering (track 6)
  • Fernando Reyes – engineering (track 8)
  • Steve Vealey – engineering (track 8)
  • Charles Hicks – mixing assistance (1–7, 9–11)
  • Joel Davies – mixing assistance (1–7, 9–11)
  • Fiona Cruickshank – engineering assistance (track 6)

Visuals

  • Steve Stacey – design
  • Alex Eden-Smith – photography

Charts

edit

Certifications

edit
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[59] Platinum 70,000
Canada (Music Canada)[60] Gold 40,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[61] Platinum 20,000
France (SNEP)[62] Gold 50,000
Germany (BVMI)[63] Gold 100,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[64] Platinum 15,000
Poland (ZPAV)[65] Platinum 20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] 4× Platinum 1,200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

edit
  1. ^ Bruton, Louise (23 March 2018). "George Ezra: Staying at Tamara's review – Cheery pop and pep talks". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 March 2018. the result is folk pop as laid-back as the man himself
  2. ^ "George Ezra - Staying At Tamara's (album review )". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  3. ^ "BRITs 2019 Nominations Announced". BRIT Awards. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  4. ^ George Ezra - Paradise. The Graham Norton Show. 2 Feb 2018, YouTube, 2 February 2018, retrieved 20 December 2018
  5. ^ McInnes, William (23 March 2018). "George Ezra opens up about finding fame and his long-awaited album". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  6. ^ White, Jack (29 June 2018). ""I never thought that this would happen": George Ezra rides Shotgun to his first UK Number 1 single". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Reviews for Staying at Tamara's by George Ezra". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  8. ^ Hunt, El (24 June 2014). "George Ezra – Wanted On Voyage". DIY. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  9. ^ Muir, Jamie (20 March 2018). "George Ezra – Staying At Tamara's". Dork. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  10. ^ "George Ezra – Staying At Tamara's (Columbia)". God Is in the TV. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  11. ^ Snapes, Laura (23 March 2018). "George Ezra: Staying at Tamara's review – the sound of summer barbecues". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  12. ^ Murphy, John (21 March 2018). "George Ezra – Staying At Tamara's | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  13. ^ Reilly, Nick (23 March 2018). "George Ezra – 'Staying At Tamara's' Album Review". NME. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  14. ^ Empire, Kitty (29 June 2014). "Wanted on Voyage review – George Ezra proves he's more than just another soppy strummer". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  15. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (23 March 2018). "Pop review: George Ezra: Staying at Tamara's | Times2". The Times. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  16. ^ "Australiancharts.com – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  17. ^ "Austriancharts.at – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  20. ^ "George Ezra Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  21. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 13.Týden 2018 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  22. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  24. ^ "Lescharts.com – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  25. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  26. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography George Ezra". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  27. ^ "Italiancharts.com – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  28. ^ "Charts.nz – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  29. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  30. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  31. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  32. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  33. ^ "Swisscharts.com – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  34. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  35. ^ "George Ezra Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  36. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums 2018". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  37. ^ "Ö3 Austria Top 40 Jahrescharts 2018: Longplay". Ö3 Austria Top 40. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  38. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2018". Ultratop. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  39. ^ "Album Top-100 2018" (in Danish). Hitlisten. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  40. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2018" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  41. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  42. ^ White, Jack (4 January 2019). "Ireland's Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  43. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2018". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  44. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2018" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  45. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2018 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 December 2018.
  46. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2018". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  47. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2019". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  48. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2019". Ultratop. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  49. ^ "Album Top-100 2019" (in Danish). Hitlisten. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  50. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2019". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  51. ^ White, Jack (9 January 2020). "Ireland's Official Top 50 biggest albums of 2019". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  52. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 2019". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  53. ^ "Årslista Album, 2019". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  54. ^ Copsey, Rob (1 January 2020). "The Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2019". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  55. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2020". Ultratop. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  56. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2020". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  57. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2022". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  58. ^ Copsey, Rob (11 December 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest albums of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  59. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  60. ^ "Canadian single certifications – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". Music Canada. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  61. ^ "Danish album certifications – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  62. ^ "French album certifications – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  63. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (George Ezra; 'Staying at Tamara's')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  64. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  65. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 October 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Staying at Tamara's in the search box.
  66. ^ "British album certifications – George Ezra – Staying at Tamara's". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 April 2022.