Wanted on Voyage

Wanted on Voyage
Studio album by George Ezra
Released 30 June 2014
Recorded 2013–14, Voltaire Road Studios, Clapham, London
Genre
Length 43:30
Label
Producer
Singles from Wanted on Voyage
  1. "Did You Hear the Rain?"
    Released: 1 November 2013
  2. "Budapest"
    Released: 13 December 2013
  3. "Cassy O'"
    Released: 13 June 2014
  4. "Blame It on Me"
    Released: 11 August 2014
  5. "Listen to the Man"
    Released: 28 October 2014
  6. "Barcelona"
    Released: 28 August 2015

Wanted on Voyage is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter George Ezra. It was released on 30 June 2014. It released in the United States on 27 January 2015. It was produced by Cam Blackwood at Voltaire Road Studios, Clapham, London and mixed by Cenzo Townsend at Decoy Studios, Suffolk. The album includes the singles "Did You Hear the Rain?", "Budapest", "Cassy O'", "Blame It on Me", "Listen to the Man" and "Barcelona". The album was inspired by a trip Ezra took around Europe in May and June 2013.

The album received positive reviews from music critics. It debuted at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart, before climbing to number 1 in October 2014, four months after its release. It has spent a total of four weeks at number one and was the third best-selling album of 2014 in the UK.

Background

Ezra started out by uploading videos to YouTube of himself performing self-penned songs, before catching the attention of Columbia Records in 2012, when he was 18. He then proceeded signed a record deal with Columbia[1] and released his debut EP Did You Hear the Rain? in November 2013. Ezra's EP was inspired by a trip around Europe in mid-2013. He told American Songwriter, "For my EP and album, I took a train journey around Europe for a month. I was just writing down everything I was seeing and all the people I was meeting. When I got home, I took the words I had written and made songs out of them. I've got some friends who say, 'I'm going to sit down and write 3 songs today,' and then they sit down and write 3 songs. I can't do that. I can't just write a song. I needed to take that trip and it helped a lot."[1] Wanted on Voyage was recorded between early November 2013 and mid January 2014 at producer Cam Blackwood's Voltaire Road Studios in Clapham, South London.[2]

The album's title is a reference to the sticker used on the suitcase of Paddington Bear, who was Ezra's hero when he was a child.[3]

Singles

"Did You Hear the Rain?" was released as the lead single from the album on 11 April 2014. The song peaked to number 72 in Austria.

"Budapest" was released as the second single from the album on 13 June 2014. The song peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and reached number one in Austria and New Zealand. It was a top ten hit in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Lebanon.

"Cassy O'" was released as the third single from the album on 13 June 2014,

"Blame It on Me" was released as the fourth single from the album on 11 August 2014.

"Listen to the Man" was released as the fifth single on 28 October 2014.

"Barcelona" was released as the sixth single on 28 August 2015 with the video premiering on 21 July 2015.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The Daily Telegraph[6]
DIY[7]
Gigslutz[8]
musicOMH[9]
NewsdayA-[10]
The Observer[11]
Renowned for Sound[12]
Rolling Stone[13]

The album received positive reviews from music critics. Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph gave Wanted on Voyage a positive review, stating "Playing guitar, bass and keyboards, Ezra delivers structurally simple songs with enormous gusto, suggesting an uncynical, joyous release in the very act of making music. Producer Cameron Blackwood was once a member of the touring line-up of Alabama 3 and has clearly learnt a few tricks about updating old grooves. Ezra’s fluid vocals shift up the register to a trembling falsetto, adding a very contemporary sensitivity to a musical cocktail that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in a Greenwich folk club in the Sixties. From the giddy skiffle of "Cassy O’" to the sweet strum of "Barcelona" and rocky grit of "Did You Hear the Rain?", Ezra’s debut has charm to spare."[6]

Kitty Empire of The Observer wrote: "...the chief pleasure on these tunes is that Ezra has found a slightly less well-worn way to skin the cat of romantic competition. Requiring menace from an album that references the label on Paddington's suitcase is probably asking a bit much. But it's this darkish side that keeps you listening past the blithe singalongs."[11] Timothy Monger of AllMusic stated that the album's mix of "scrappy romps" and "quirky, synth-laden indie pop tunes" offer up "enough diversity to keep things interesting."[5]

Commercial performance

On 2 July 2014, Wanted on Voyage was at number 3 on The Official Chart Update in the UK.[14] On 3 July the album entered the Irish Albums Chart at number 11. On 6 July, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 3.[15] The album has also charted in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland.

On 5 October 2014, the album climbed to number one on the UK Albums Chart.[16] By the end of 2014, Wanted on Voyage had sold 678,156 copies in the UK,[17] making it the third best-selling album of the year in the UK.[17] On 4 January 2015, the album reclaimed the number one spot in the UK.[18] By April 2015, the album had sold 964,000 copies in the UK,[19] and on 9 June, it was announced to have reached sales of over 1 million.[20] With sales of 1,007,000, Wanted on Voyage is currently the 25th biggest selling album of the 2010s in the UK.[21]

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "Blame It on Me"   3:15
2. "Budapest"   3:20
3. "Cassy O'"   3:04
4. "Barcelona"   3:08
5. "Listen to the Man"   3:03
6. "Leaving It Up to You"   3:36
7. "Did You Hear the Rain?"   4:20
8. "Drawing Board"   3:46
9. "Stand by Your Gun"   3:04
10. "Breakaway"   4:44
11. "Over the Creek"   3:56
12. "Spectacular Rival"   4:14
Total length:
 43:30

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2014–15) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] 4
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[24] 9
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25] 13
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[26] 30
scope="row" Canadian Albums (Billboard)[27] 19
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[28] 19
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[29] 9
French Albums (SNEP)[30] 6
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[31] 8
Irish Albums (IRMA)[32] 5
Italian Albums (FIMI)[33] 12
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[34] 4
Scottish Albums (OCC)[35] 1
South African Albums (RISA)[36] 10
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[37] 39
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[38] 6
UK Albums (OCC)[39] 1
US Billboard 200[40] 19
US Folk Albums (Billboard)[41] 1
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[42] 6

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
Australian Albums Chart[43] 48
New Zealand Albums Chart[44] 34
UK Albums Chart[45] 3
Chart (2015) Position
Australian Albums Chart[46] 41
Irish Albums Chart[47] 19
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[48] 16
UK Albums Chart[49] 10

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[50] Platinum 70,000^
France (SNEP)[51] Gold 50,000*
Germany (BVMI)[52] Gold 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[53] Platinum 15,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[54] Gold 10,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] 3× Platinum 1,011,073[56]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Label
United Kingdom[57] 30 June 2014
United States[58] 27 January 2015

References

  1. 1 2 LeDonne, Rob (1 October 2014). "Q&A: George Ezra on his hit song "Budapest" and burgeoning fame". American Songwriter. ForASong Media. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Hughes, Tim (21 May 2015). "George the Great - Hit singer-songwriter George Ezra heads to Oxford". Oxford Mail. Newsquest. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  3. ↑ Foster, Alistair (11 December 2014). "George Ezra: Paddington's my hero... I named my album after him". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
  4. ↑ Ashley Percival (21 July 2015). "George Ezra 'Barcelona' Video Premieres, Exclusively On HuffPost UK (WATCH)". www.huffingtonpost.co.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  5. 1 2 Monger, Timothy. "Wanted on Voyage – George Ezra". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  6. 1 2 McCormick, Neil (4 July 2014). "George Ezra, Wanted On Voyage, review: 'a joyous release'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Hunt, El (24 June 2014). "George Ezra – Wanted On Voyage". DIY. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  8. ↑ Moran, Natasha. "ALBUM REVIEW: George Ezra 'Wanted On Voyage'". GigslutzGigslutz. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  9. ↑ Murphy, John (26 June 2014). "George Ezra – Wanted On Voyage". musicOMH. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  10. ↑ Gamboa, Glenn (26 January 2015). "George Ezra's 'Wanted on Voyage' album review: A bass-voiced travelogue". Newsday. Cablevision. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  11. 1 2 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.
  12. ↑ Ward, Robert (7 July 2014). "Album Review: George Ezra – Wanted On Voyage". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  13. ↑ Weingarten, Christopher R. (12 February 2015). "Wanted on Voyage". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  14. ↑ Lane, Dan (2 July 2014). "5 Seconds of Summer neck and neck with Ed Sheeran in albums race". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  15. ↑ Ed Sheeran denies 5 Seconds of Summer this week's Number 1 album. Official Charts Company.
  16. ↑ "George Ezra's Wanted On Voyage hits the Number 1 spot… 14 weeks after release!". officialcharts.com.
  17. 1 2 Jones, Alan (28 December 2014). "Official Charts Analysis: Sheeran's x scores 12th week at No.1 with sales of 211,168". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 5 January 2016. (subscription required (help)).
  18. ↑ "George Ezra's Wanted On Voyage reclaims Number 1". officialcharts.com.
  19. ↑ Myers, Justin (18 April 2015). "Record Store Day: Top 40 biggest selling albums from UK's independent record shops". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  20. ↑ Copsey, Rob (9 June 2015). "George Ezra's Wanted on Voyage hits 1 million sales in under a year: "It almost doesn't feel real"". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  21. ↑ Copsey, Rob (9 June 2015). "Official Biggest Selling Albums of the decade so far revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  22. ↑ Wanted on Voyage (booklet). George Ezra. Columbia Records. 2014. 88843032252.
  23. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage". Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  24. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  26. ↑ "Ultratop.be – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  27. ↑ "George Ezra – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for George Ezra. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  28. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  29. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  30. ↑ "Lescharts.com – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  31. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  32. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 40, 2014". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  33. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  34. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  35. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  36. ↑ "South African Top 20 Albums Chart". RSG (Recording Industry of South Africa). Archived from the original on 2 October 2014.
  37. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  38. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  39. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  40. ↑ "George Ezra – Chart history" Billboard 200 for George Ezra. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  41. ↑ "George Ezra – Chart history" Billboard Folk Albums for George Ezra. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  42. ↑ "George Ezra – Chart history" Billboard Top Rock Albums for George Ezra. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  43. ↑ "End of Year Charts – ARIA Top 100 Albums 2014". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  44. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 2014 – The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  45. ↑ Moss, Liv (1 January 2015). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Artist Albums of 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  46. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 2015". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  47. ↑ http://www.irma.ie/#verticalTab2
  48. ↑ "The Official NZ Music Charts - End of Year Charts 2015".
  49. ↑ Copsey, Rob (5 January 2016). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Artist Albums of 2015 revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  50. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  51. ↑ "French album certifications – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  52. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (George Ezra; 'Wanted on Voyage')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  53. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage". Recorded Music NZ. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  54. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (George Ezra; 'Wanted on Voyage')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  55. ↑ "British album certifications – George Ezra – Wanted on Voyage". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Wanted on Voyage in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  56. ↑ Jones, Alan (15 June 2015). "Official Charts Analysis: Muse's Drones fly to No.1 on sales of 72,863". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 15 June 2015. (subscription required (help)).
  57. ↑ "Wanted On Voyage by George Ezra". iTunes Stores (GB). Apple. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  58. ↑ "Wanted On Voyage (Deluxe) by George Ezra". iTunes Stores (US). Apple. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
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