Words: Callie Petch
During this year’s Glastonbury coverage, the BBC did their usual thing of setting up some lesser-known or more left-field musicians with an in-studio performance slot during the big highlight shows. I sometimes find myself getting more excited for those than I do actual full-length televised sets. They’re always good for at least a few new-to-me discoveries: The Mary Wallopers, The Zawose Queens, Moonchild Sanelly (though she’d been on my radar already thanks to her 2020 Gorillaz collab). This year’s big standout for me was American retro soul revivalist Jalen Ngonda, who delivered a performance of his 2023 debut album title track “Come Around and Love Me” with such passion that he managed to blast through my natural exhaustion with that whole scene. His high-pinched yet versatile voice dancing around with convincing frenzied soul obviously stood out, but his warm songwriting and lite-funk touch demonstrated he has songwriting chops to hand too.
Unsurprisingly, Ngonda is part of the Daptone Records family – I think you’re legally required to be if you wanna operate in this genre. And, following on from a Summer building buzz with further festival appearances, he’s dropped a new single. “Anyone In Love” is the kind of tastefully-ornate soul ballad which, frankly, feels wrong to listen to on anything other than a worn, dust-covered 7-inch fished out of your parent’s attic. It sees Ngonda heading back to the famous Hive Mind studio in New York, where he recorded Come Around and Love Me with producers Mike Buckley & Vincent Chiarito, and singing with anxious urge about the risks of falling in love. A backing chorus calls out the title phrase, xylophones chime, and eventually some glorious strings crest in over the bridge. It’s all vintage Motown and, dammit, it really works for me. You can listen for yourself below.
Having clearly enjoyed his sold-out UK tour this Spring, Ngonda is doing another one next Spring. The Manchester and London dates are already sold out, but the other cities still have some tickets left. I bet those’ll be some real good shows if you’re partial to this kind of musicianship. Peep the tour dates below.
Jalen Ngonda Spring 2025 UK Tour
- 8th March – Marble Factory, Bristol, UK (tickets)
- 9th March – Albert Hall, Manchester, UK *SOLD OUT*
- 11th March – SWG3, Glasgow, UK (tickets)
- 12th March – O2 Academy, Liverpool, UK (tickets)
- 13th March – Roundhouse, London, UK – *SOLD OUT*
Credit: Imogen Hardy.
“Anyone in Love” is out now via Daptone Records.
