About

Jalen Ngonda's debut LP back in stock and repressed on the black vinyl edition. Jalen Ngonda is a student of traditional R&B who puts his spin on the idiom with a soaring tenor voice and personal songwriting. Originally from Maryland and based in London, he has called England home since attending Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts – he debuted in 2016 and after a handful of singles and an EP connected with Daptone Records. Since allying with the Brooklyn-based label, he has issued a 2022 7" single and the 2023 album Come Around and Love Me, romantic recordings with a strong foundation in late-'60s and early-'70s soul. 

Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Jalen perform live knows that he is one of the most captivating performers on today's soul scene. His voice, equal parts raw feeling and elegance, exudes confidence and charm—disarming packed rooms of rowdy concert goers, leaving them silent as they hold fast to every syllable sung. Plans for the album were struck just months before the COVID 19 pandemic shut the world down. 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. — via Label

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Label: Daptone Records
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono
Released: 2023
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Soul

File under: Jazz Compilation
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