BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
If your familiarity with Hozier begins and ends with “Take Me to Church,” then you’ve likely already formed an opinion of his music, whether you see the Grammy-nominated “Church” as dour and plodding or as a meaningful anthem.
Whatever your take, the song wins points for earning heavy rotation status on radio playlists despite its unconventionality.
But also know this – “Church” is the least Hozier-like song on his self-titled debut album, which the singer-guitarist pulled from heavily at his Tuesday night gig at Variety Playhouse.
At the most intimate of his three Atlanta dates ( he plays The Tabernacle on Friday, then returns in May for a performance at Chastain Park Amphitheatre ), the sold-out crowd listened attentively – and kept phone distractions to a minimum – as Hozier and his six-piece band offered a musical stew of rock, blues, folk and soul.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
The humble Hozier, clothes hanging from his lanky frame and his enviable hair pulled back, immediately delved into “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene” (which sort of sounds like the title of a Fall Out Boy hit), pushing the song as it nicely escalated into a locomotive beat.
In front of a simple black and white, paint-splattered backdrop bearing his stage name – he’s Andrew Hozier-Byrne in non-rock-star life – Hozier evoked the Black Keys with his bluesy guitar lines on the shape-shifting “From Eden” and echoed Keith Richards’ “Beast of Burden” riff on the polished soul-pop of “Someone New.”
The almost-25-year-old seemed a bit uncomfortable with the extreme closeness of the crowd at the stage, semi-joking, “I’m so close, I can smell what you had for lunch.”
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
But even though he isn’t the chattiest chap – aside from a few music-related stories, such as recording “Cherry Wine” in an abandoned hotel, he mostly stuck to introducing songs simply by their title – Hozier appeared quietly happy and grateful. He also acknowledged that Tuesday’s show was a makeup date from October and thanked the audience for coming back.
Hozier possesses a richly textured voice that can alternately soar and croon, but more impressive was his guitar playing. He’s a credible blues player, capable of writing a draggy stomper such as “To Be Alone” as well as deftly bending the strings on a cover of Skip James’ “Illinois Blues.”
A highlight came on his duet with cellist Alana Henderson. After telling a story about the Wicklow Hills in his native Ireland, Hozier and Henderson, accompanied only by his guitar, delivered the weirdly gorgeous ballad “In a Week.”
Similarly mesmerizing was the full band performance of “Arsonist’s Lullabye,” which featured the members sheathed in individual spotlights and Hozier’s buzzy guitar forming a wall of sound.
While some of his material – “Sedated,” “Foreigner’s God,” – adopted a similar tedious gait, they were offset by the liveliness of much of the set. And live, “Take Me to Church” dipped and escalated, Hozier going low and haunting with his voice, as the audience raised their hands toward the ceiling in mass communion.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Opening the show was George Ezra – a quick returnee to Atlanta, having opened for Sam Smith at his Fox appearance in January.
The young Englishman is similar to Hozier in style, but leans more toward Jake Bugg’s country-jangle-pop with songs such as “Cassy O’” and “Song 6.”
An unassuming presence onstage, Ezra nonetheless unveiled a deep voice that resonated on the pretty “Barcelona,” a song inspired by a monthlong train trip around Europe, and his worldwide hit, the sprightly “Budapest.”
Most impressive during his 30-minute set was the closer, “Did You Hear the Rain?”, which he began a capella before turning the song into a frenzied spin.
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