JALEN NGONDA ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM & SHARES ITS TITLE TRACK
COME AROUND AND LOVE ME OUT SEPTEMBER 8TH VIA DAPTONE RECORDS
London, by-way-of-DC musician Jalen Ngonda announces his debut album for Daptone Records, Come Around And Love Me, out September 8th. His debut full-length, which he’s teased over the course of the last year since the start of his tenure with the label, includes three well-received singles “What A Difference She Made,” “Just Like You Used To,” and “If You Don’t Want My Love,” which NPR described as “a sweet, sunshiny serenade invites the funk-threaded spirit of rock and roll.”
Along with the album’s announcement, Jalen shares another gleaming example of what listeners can expect from his debut with the release of the album’s title track and its accompanying visual. “Come Around And Love Me” offers another glimpse into the expanse of Jalen’s vision for his debut, with his voice complementing production nods to the sounds of early 70’s Motown while singing about the early stages of a relationship, and seeking that sign from another person to jump all the way into the love you feel without any fear.
Recorded at Hive Mind Studios in Brooklyn, Jalen wrote and recorded the album with the help of producers/arrangers Mike Buckley and Vincent Chiarito (both members of Charles Bradley’s Extraordinaires). Jalen’s approach to music, and his debut, centers on his deep reverence of the Motown records he grew up with and his appreciation for the timeless soul music of the 20th century, while recognizing that he’s able to bring a distinctly 21st-century point of view to those sounds. Come Around And Love Me distills those two timelines into a stunning debut record of modern soul and R&B from one of the powerhouse new voices in the genre.
At 28, Jalen’s resume reads more like that of a seasoned veteran: He has performed at New York City’s Summer Stage Festival, Picktathon, Newport Folk Festival, opened for Laura Mvula and Lauryn Hill at the Montreal Jazz Festival, sold-out houses on his own in Germany, the UK and Switzerland. After garnering rave reviews and thrilling audiences with his powerful solo performance in support of Thee Sacred Souls’ US tour, Jalen rejoined their European tour finishing with them in Rotterdam at the end of April, culminating with a sold-out headline show of his own at London’s Moth Club earlier this month. This Fall, he’ll embark on a North American tour run with his full band, adding a new dynamic to his already-impeccable live show.
Check out “Come Around and Love Me” above, see more info on Jalen and his debut below, and stay tuned for more Jalen Ngonda coming soon.
Upcoming NL Tour Dates:
08/7 – North Sea Jazz Festival, Rotterdam
8/11 Bird, Rotterdam
Jalen Ngonda
Come Around and Love Me
Daptone Records
September 8, 2023
- Come Around and Love Me
- If You Don’t Want My Love
- Lost
- That’s All I Wanted From You
- Please Show Me
- Just Like You Used To
- What A Difference She Made
- Give Me Another Day
- So Glad I Found You
- It Takes A Fool
- Rapture
More about Jalen Ngonda:
Jalen Ngonda is one of the most captivating performers on today’s soul scene. His voice, equal parts raw feeling and elegance, exudes confidence and charm. At 28, his resume reads more like that of a seasoned veteran: He has performed at New York City’s Summer Stage Festival, Pickathon, Newport Folk Festival, opened for Laura Mvula and Lauryn Hill at the Montreal Jazz Festival and sold-out houses on his own in Germany, the UK and Switzerland. Most recently, Jalen thrilled audiences and garnered rave reviews with his powerful solo performance in support of Thee Sacred Souls’ US tour. Now with a pair of widely-revered singles under his belt at his new home, Daptone Records, Jalen prepares for the release of his debut LP, Come Around and Love Me.
Jalen Ngonda grew up in a music loving family on the outskirts of Washington D.C. He began musical studies in grade school, where he dabbled in violin, ultimately moving on to the guitar and piano. His inspiration came from listening to his father’s collection of Motown CDs (The Temptations, Mary Wells, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles), which opened his eyes to the vastness of American music, guiding him along a path of constant study and discovery–from early blues, to gospel to jazz to rock & soul.
Like many of the legends before him, Jalen cut his teeth in the church where he played organ, honing his craft to the organic pulse of soul-grooving parishioners. And it was this very church that helped raise the money to send Jalen to the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts, where he honed his rich, nuanced voice and sublime falsetto.
Some years later, after a serendipitous, last minute opening slot for Jools Holland–attended by Daptone Co-Founder, Neal Sugarman–the pair hit it off and plans for an album on Daptone were struck. Unfortunately, this happened to be a month before the COVID 19 pandemic shut down the world. Notwithstanding, Jalen eventually made it to Hive Mind Studios in Brooklyn, NY where he began writing and recording with the help of producer/arrangers Mike Buckley and Vincent Chiarito (both members of Charles Bradley’s Extraordinaires) and a crack team of a-list musicians from the Daptone family. The team skillfully blends heavy arrangements and introspective lyrics with motown sophistication, leaving the listener in a blissful wash of wonderment–culminating in quite possibly one of the finest soul albums of the decade.
Jalen has been writing songs since he was 14, and his compositions are also very much of these times. He explains, “I love music from the 20th century— I listen to it all the time, but I’m in this world and the 21st century. …to a stranger, I’d describe my music as modern soul and R&B, while trying to fit in the Beach Boys and the Beatles somewhere in between.” Come Around and Love Me reveals how he creates a classic approach that is rooted in the sounds of revered pioneers, without falling into imitation–leaving no doubt that Jalen will continue to shine within the superlative, timeless musical tradition that is Daptone’s hallmark.
