FEATURE: Spotlight: Jalen Ngonda — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Rosie Cohe

Jalen Ngonda

_________

UNDENIABLY one of the greatest voices…

of his generation, Jalen Ngonda’s debut album, Come Around and Love Me, is among this year’s very best. Such a soulful, powerful and memorable live performer, there is so much to admire about the U.S.-born, U.K.-based artist. Born in Maryland, Jalen Ngonda chose the city of Liverpool as the place in which he would flourish as a musician. He has just been touring in the U.S. He is back in the U.K. and will play King Tuts Wah Wah Hut on 1st November. I am going to come to some interviews with him. A review too for his spectacular album, Come Around and Love Me. I have arrived at his feet after the love wave that greeted his stunning debut. I feel I am late to the party though, as he has received such buzz and so much admiration far and wide, I wanted to point anyone unaware of his talents in the direction of an artist who could rank alongside the Soul greats. This, from his official website, gives you a sense of what Jalen Ngonda is all about:

“Truly life-enriching soul music is an indomitable force of nature. No matter what sub-genre our current crop of musicologists may cite in the very near future to describe Jalen Ngonda’s riveting nu-soul approach, he’s unequivocally the real deal, blending classic and contemporary soul influences to create a sound that’s all his own.

Clearly a keen student of the genre’s revered pioneers, Jalen possesses a rich, nuanced voice that sets him miles apart from the crowd. Yet Ngonda is as fresh and contemporary as anyone gracing today’s scene. Inspiration for his compositions derives from a variety of places. “Everyday life. Anything, really,” he says. “To a stranger, I would say my music is soul/R&B, while trying to fit in the Beach Boys and the Beatles somewhere in between.” Recently having joined the mighty Daptone Records roster new music is imminent!”.

If you have not heard of Jalen Ngonda’s debut album, I would urge everyone to check it out. It is not an understatement to say that he is a revelation! One of those voices that seems to define a generation. Much like Amy Winehouse did with Frank in 2003. It is amazing to see how people are reacting to his music. Rough Trade gives us some more details:

“Artists like Jalen Ngonda come around once in a lifetime, so it is our privilege and distinct pleasure to announce the release of his debut album Come Around and Love Me. 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. Now it's your turn to come around and love one of the finest soul albums of the decade.

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. 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 Iʼm in this world and the 21st century. ...to a stranger, Iʼd 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 Daptoneʼs hallmark”.

Jalen Ngonda has been on the scene and on the radar for a little while now. Even though Come Around and Love Me came out recently, he has been supplying wonderful music for a fair few years now. In fact, The Mind Map spoke to the rising artist in 2018:

“Originally from Maryland in the US, Jalen N’Gonda moved to Liverpool to study at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. Recalling James Brown and modern days acts such as Leon Bridges, his music fuses the best elements of soul, rock ‘n’ roll and jazz. We chatted to him about moving to Liverpool, Marvin Gaye and taking a deep breath when the good times go bad.

Hello Jalen, what are you working on at the moment?

Hello, I’m currently working on new music with fellow songwriters in London and Liverpool.

What are you listening to, reading and watching at the moment?

I’m listening to Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On, Burt Bacharach, The Beach Boys. Just loads of 60s early 70s stuff. I’m not really reading at the moment, but I should! And I’m watching Mad Men TV series. I love it!

You hail from Maryland in the US, but moved to study in Liverpool. Did it take a while to settle in your new surroundings?

I quickly grew accustomed to living here actually, with a little help of new friends.

What do you like about Liverpool, and what do you miss about home?

I like the parks, nightlife, neighbourhood pubs and the cheap taxis. But I do miss the food from home and the TV shows there.

Do you have any advice for those who are living away from friends and family?

My advice would be to keep in touch with friends and family from home and embrace the new friends and family at the same time.

What would constitute a ‘perfect’ day for you?

Waking up on a warm sunny day with the smell of a full cooked breakfast waiting for me. Then going outside with friends and family to a trip to the pub for a few drinks. Then we go to a record store and discover a copy of a record called Guess I’m Dumb by Glen Campbell in mint condition sold cheap. Then we all go back to mine to dance to the record several times. Soon afterwards we order loads of food together while watching Mad Men.

For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

My friends and family.

Complete this sentence: “Ace mental health for me means…”

Not having to look in the mirror too long.

What do you eat to stay healthy?

Fruit. Tomatoes, the occasional salad.

Do you have a daily routine of exercise or do you make it up as you go along?

I get up and do 20 push ups before jumping in the shower then 20 push ups before going to bed.

Here at The Mind Map we remember playing football and ‘tag’ – running around the playground everyday and loving it – can you share a similar memory?

I did the exact same thing as a child but played American football and basketball.

What three songs lift your spirits?

What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye, I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times – The Beach Boys, Guess I’m Dumb – Glen Campbell”.

I am going to come to interviews from this year. Before coming to an interview from DIY, I want to drop in some excerpts from NPR. Scott Simon spoke with an artist who has been compared (quite rightly) to the Soul legends of the 1970s. I think that you can hear some of the pioneers in the bones and blood of Ngonda – though he very much puts his own stamp on the genre:

“SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Jalen Ngonda's music brings us back to a time when pop tunes were filled with soul. His songs teem with longing and appreciation for that special human being that's at the center of a song.

JALEN NGONDA: (Singing) Please give a sign that I am yours and you are mine. Don't keep me guessin' about others before. Oh, come 'round and love me.

SIMON: The native of Washington, D.C., is out with his debut album. It's called "Come Around And Love Me." Jalen Ngonda now lives in Liverpool. He came back home to join us in the studio. Thank you so much for being with us.

NGONDA: Thank you.

SIMON: How did you develop your sound?

NGONDA: Well, you always develop something when you don't know you're developing it, you know?

SIMON: Yeah.

NGONDA: I didn't wake up and say, I'm going to develop this sound. I just grew up, ages 11 till to this day - I've been living as someone who just loves all types of music, but particularly music from the '60s. And as I'm growing as a person and a musician and writing, you know, I - that sound and everything's going to reflect on my writing.

SIMON: Well, I love the way it sounds. Let me ask you about the song and title track...

NGONDA: Yeah.

SIMON: ..."Come Around And Love Me." All of us come around and love you? What?

NGONDA: No. You know, this song is not aimed at anyone specifically. It's just rhyming schemes, you know? It's like - you know, like, when you write, you just try to find rhymes.

SIMON: The album begins with a song about a singer interested in someone else. And then the song seemed to follow a storyline of two people who - not giving anything away - do become involved. You're trying to put together a kind of - start to finish - an endurance love story...

NGONDA: Not really.

SIMON: ...On this album?

NGONDA: No structure, you know? It's - a lot of those records that you hear now, like, you know, the - from trap to rap to rock to EDM, they're all love songs, too, unless they're just talking about money.

SIMON: That's a kind of love song for some people. But I take your point.

NGONDA: Yeah, which is a love song for a lot of people. But...

SIMON: Yeah.

NGONDA: ...You know, they all write - we all write of the same thing. We write about who we're into, whether they are there and if they're going to call you again. I think it's just paid attention more with soul music 'cause of the sort of image it has, you know, like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke and the Marvin Gayes. They wrote the most beautiful love songs. So when you think of soul, you think of love songs. So I'm really just writing a song. And I think love is a topic because we all - not all of us have money and riches, and not all of us have, say, problems that are significant, but we all have love. And I think that's why it's so easy to write a love song.

SIMON: Yeah. Let's listen to a little of your song "If You Don't Want My Love."

NGONDA: (Singing) Keeps us close and keep us dear, not just today but every year. You were made to be a focus in my mind. But if you don't want my love and if you want somethin' more, said if you never wanted my love, let me know, oh.

SIMON: If you don't want my love, let me know. Boy. Very much classical soul here. Is that what songs can do sometimes, give us the way to say things that are difficult to bring out of ourselves?

NGONDA: I think so, yeah. Depends on the person in the situation. I think when it comes to something, if it's a deep love or a deep feeling, it's hard to bring it out because you treasure and you hold it so much, because if you feel like if you let it out and show someone else that side of you, you could get hurt.

SIMON: I've got to tell you, if my opinion's worth anything, I do hear a suggestion of Sam Cooke - which, by the way, no higher compliment - and Mary Wells.

NGONDA: Sam Cooke and Mary Wells, they both grew up in church...

SIMON: Yeah.

NGONDA: ...In the Black church. So, like, Mary Wells, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Curtis Mayfield to Marvin Gaye to - there's hundreds of singers to list - Percy Sledge - they all grew up in the church where they were singing in a certain way and a certain style. And so I think you can compare all those soul singers together because it's a - it's just a way of singing. But that's the way of singing that I've listened to the most. I'm going to sound like that, too, probably, just in my own way.

SIMON: What do you think you learned from some of your listening to great artists of the past?

NGONDA: Well, I mean, I've just learned how these songs get crafted. I feel like in terms of in life, like, if I learned anything from my own peace of mind and well-being, I feel like a song can show you the ways of love or whatever, but you learn that stuff in real life. I was not equipped for heartache by listening to heartbreak songs, you know? It was because I got my heart broken by someone in the past. But what I've learned from these songs is it's - we keep saying it's a universal language - and I guess I learned that it's these love songs that make hits”.

Let’s come to the U.K. and some love from DIY. If some feel his soul and spirit is based in 1970s Soul, others feel it goes back a decade further. It is clear that his parents’ music and Soul greats are a big source of inspiration to him:

“The last thing Jalen Ngonda’s father thought he was doing when he bought his 10-year-old son a DVD copy of the landmark TV series Roots was starting him on a path towards a life in music. However, it just so happened that the disc included adverts for other titles in the production company’s catalogue - one of which was a documentary about The Temptations.

“I was glued to the screen,” he recalls. “For the next couple of months, I would put on Roots just for that preview. It changed my world. My dad then bought a CD of theirs and I haven’t been the same since.”

The young video game nerd from Maryland soon became transfixed by the soul, R&B and psychedelic rock of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, voraciously consuming and learning the cultural history of the art form. Performing, beyond the occasional solo in front of a church congregation, was limited to his bedroom, however, and he claims not to have seen any potential in himself as a vocalist.

Anyone listening to ‘Come Around and Love Me’ - Jalen's debut album, released this month - will find this hard to believe. The record is a pristine iteration of the styles with which his teenage self became obsessed; his mellifluous, limitlessly rich vocals soaring above a Funk Brothers-flavoured backing, courtesy of the legendary Daptone Records. If the label had claimed to have unearthed an unreleased 1972 demo, you’d have believed them.

PHOTO CREDIT: Rosie Cohe

“It’s jarring to call it old music,” he notes, however, about his sound. “It’s just the music that I like. People have often wanted to make me sound more contemporary, but I am contemporary. I’m alive and I’m making music that hasn’t existed before.” By the age of 19, Jalen had developed an interest in songwriting, citing Burt Bacharach as a career model that he admired. A chance application to the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts resulted in a surprise offer, and he made the huge decision to accept. “I’d never left the country, I didn’t have a passport,” he says. “Most of life before that was just unfilled promises, so it was like, this isn’t going to happen. Even when I was accepted, I thought there was going to be something to prevent it. No one leaves where I’m from; I was convinced I was just one of those people that would always stay in the area.”He soon settled in Liverpool and, after releasing some of his own songs on SoundCloud, began to play local shows. Within a couple of years, he had multiple label offers, was playing London’s Royal Festival Hall, and supporting bona fide legends Martha Reeves and Lauryn Hill.

Left to his own devices, Jalen's instincts are to push his music into the margins, embracing his love of ‘Sgt. Pepper’-like tremolo and wah pedal effects. But for this debut, he was conscious not to scare listeners away. “I try not to be too stubborn,” he explains. “But if I did go down that route, I’m pretty sure the album would’ve been very psychy. I don’t want to make it too avant-garde, especially for the first thing that people hear. We’ll see what happens in the future”.

I will round off with a review for an album that has blown people away. No doubt among the most essential and mesmerising debuts of this year, NME had this to say about Come Around and Love Me: an album that will honestly move the senses and stay long in the mind and heart:

“Jalen Ngonda’s music is inextricably linked to the soul records of his childhood, but doesn’t want to be chained to them. The Washington DC-raised, UK-based artist takes his cues from traditional and much-loved records from the scene, but says he’s determined to push them into something fresh.

“To a stranger, I would say my music is soul/R&B, while trying to fit in The Beach Boys and The Beatles somewhere in between,” Ngonda has said of his sound, and the prioritisation of melody from the music of both of those reference points is also written all over his debut album, ‘Come Around And Love Me’.

Released via the legendary Daptone label, ‘Come Around And Love Me’ is a wonderfully smooth, dramatic album of modern soul and R&B, all brought together by an exhilarating, hair-raising voice. Sometimes, like at the start of the shuffling ‘That’s All I Wanted From You’, he’s stretching his voice into an almost shout with superb power. Elsewhere, ‘Lost’ sees him swing effortlessly between near-spoken word and soft, melodic singing.

Other highlights come in the form of the irresistibly smooth ‘It Takes A Fool’ and comparably energetic closer ‘Rapture’, all bound together by a voice that’s constantly surprising, fresh and technically superb.

It’s this virtuosic singing and the pure charisma bursting out of every sinew that sets the album, and Ngonda, apart. With the music staying at a largely similar tempo across the album, it’s his voice that provides the power, variety and a focal point. Some of the singer’s reported contemporary influences, such as Angel Olsen, Fleet Foxes and Arctic Monkeys, don’t cut through quite enough into the album’s sound, and furthering the experimentation on future projects is an exciting prospect.

The future for Ngonda is unknown, but if ‘Come Around And Love Me’ shows – with expert precision and huge reverence – where he came from and the music he fell in love with as a child, album two might be the one to push things forward into new territories. As it is, the debut album sets the table for a vibrant new soul singer with the world at his feet”.

A British-based artist with a heavenly voice and a singular talent, expect to hear a lot more about the wonderful Jalen Ngonda! He has been highlighted and tipped by the likes of The Guardian. I would love to see him live soon. Playing the Jazz Café in Camden on 7th November, that is a show that will get a lot of London bouncing and vibing! A spectacular talent that everyone needs to be across, make sure that Jalen Ngonda is…