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JALEN NGONDA

Jalen Ngonda

Doctrine Of Love

Since the release of his critically acclaimed debut full length, 2023’s Come Around and Love Me, Jalen’s career has undergone a meteoric rise. The track “If You Don’t Want My Love” went viral, garnering 253 million streams to date. Jalen has appeared on a number of major television programmes, including The Graham Norton Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Later with Jools Holland. He opened for Thee Sacred Souls on their national US tour, and has sold out countless club dates across the globe as a headliner. Now, in 2026, with the embers of his debut still burning brightly, Jalen prepares to release his eagerly awaited sophomore album, Doctrine of Love.

The hard work and relentless touring behind his debut have fortified his craft. His message: “The doctrine of love holds that every thought and action should be guided first by compassion for others, because love is the highest measure of human worth.” The tracks on the forthcoming album are born from this creed. With his deep knowledge and love of classic soul, Jalen delivers authenticity in abundance. Doctrine of Love blends pop sensibility and soulful melodies with raw grit and groove, expanding on the orchestral arrangements of Come Around and Love Me with flourishes of horns and gospel-kissed backing vocals, creating a highly stylish example of modern soul artistry.

TRACK LISTING

1. Anyone In Love
2. Doctrine Of Love
3. Mr. Train Conductor
4. Burning Temptation
5. Love Is Gone
6. I Can’t Ever Leave You
7. Hannah, What’s The Matter?
8. Good Good Love
9. Hang It On The Shelf
10. Taken Out Of The Picture

Jalen Ngonda

Doctrine Of Love - Ticket Bundle

Since the release of his critically acclaimed debut full length, 2023’s Come Around and Love Me, Jalen’s career has undergone a meteoric rise. The track “If You Don’t Want My Love” went viral, garnering 253 million streams to date. Jalen has appeared on a number of major television programmes, including The Graham Norton Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Later with Jools Holland. He opened for Thee Sacred Souls on their national US tour, and has sold out countless club dates across the globe as a headliner. Now, in 2026, with the embers of his debut still burning brightly, Jalen prepares to release his eagerly awaited sophomore album, Doctrine of Love.

The hard work and relentless touring behind his debut have fortified his craft. His message: “The doctrine of love holds that every thought and action should be guided first by compassion for others, because love is the highest measure of human worth.” The tracks on the forthcoming album are born from this creed. With his deep knowledge and love of classic soul, Jalen delivers authenticity in abundance. Doctrine of Love blends pop sensibility and soulful melodies with raw grit and groove, expanding on the orchestral arrangements of Come Around and Love Me with flourishes of horns and gospel-kissed backing vocals, creating a highly stylish example of modern soul artistry.

TRACK LISTING

1. Anyone In Love
2. Doctrine Of Love
3. Mr. Train Conductor
4. Burning Temptation
5. Love Is Gone
6. I Can’t Ever Leave You
7. Hannah, What’s The Matter?
8. Good Good Love
9. Hang It On The Shelf
10. Taken Out Of The Picture

Jalen Ngonda

All About Me B/w All About Me (Dub)

Soul singer supreme, Jalen Ngonda and producer/veteran keyboardist, Victor Axelrod join forces to deliver the collaboration we all needed- the impossibly soulful, reggae banger 'All About Me'.

Having worked together on the sessions for 'Come Around and Love Me', Axelrod recalls being inspired by the similarities between Jalen’s voice and a young Bitty Mclean. He had the beds to a track already recorded, but needed the right singer. With Jalen on board, the two wrote the lyrics and recorded the vocals in one night.

Written from the perspective of an arrogant lover, the track’s party-forward swing and stellar vocal performance make for a pop-forward gem poised to be massive on both the soul and reggae scenes.


TRACK LISTING

1. All About Me
2. All About Me (Dub)

Jalen Ngonda

Illusions / Rapture

It is our distinct pleasure to present another massive double-sider from Jalen Ngonda and Co.. After taking the UK airwaves by storm with “Illusions” making it onto the BBCR2 A-List and “Rapture” featured on the BBC Radio 6 list we knew we had to offer these sides on 45. With their sophisticated arrangements and infallible, soulful grooves courtesy of some of the best musicians in the game, Jalen’s voice shines through- exuding the class and maturity of an artist who has refined their craft on the road. Two sides sure to fill dancefloors at discerning soul nights around the globe.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Illusions

Side B
Rapture

Jalen Ngonda

Come Around And Love Me / What Is Left To Do

A modern, mid-tempo masterpiece whose lush arrangement and laser-sharp groove provide the perfect foundation for Jalen’s profoundly soulful vocals. The track exudes charm and manifests positivity in a way rarely captured on today’s soul scene.

On the flip is the moody, previously unreleased beat-ballad, “What is Left to Do”, whose gorgeous strings, plaintive, call and response chorus and tasteful delay create the kind of subdued psychedelic that was coming out of Motown in the early 70’s. But contrary to the trends of that era, both sides of this disc are presented in glorious mono.


TRACK LISTING

Side A – Come Around And Love Me
Side B – What Is Left To Do

Jalen Ngonda

Come Around And Love Me

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.

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 skilfully 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 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 ft 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.

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: Born and raised on the East Coast of the USA, just outside Washington DC and now resident in Liverpool, Jalen Ngonda’s debut album is released on Daptone, which is reason enough to take note - let’s face it, they rarely put a foot wrong do they? The album kicks off with the title track “Come Around And Love Me”, that brings to mind ‘What’s Going On’ era Marvin, and then runs through a collection of pristine 2-3 minute gems that perfectly capture the golden era of soul, from the mid 60s to mid 70s.

Jalen is the real deal, with a voice that ranges from raw soul power to sweet falsetto, and songwriting skills to match. There isn’t a bad track here, in fact pretty much every song could be a single in its own right. You can pick out a whole host of influences, from the aforementioned Marvin Gaye, to the psychedelic soul of Isaac Hayes, the Motor City sound of The Four Tops and sweet harmonies of The Temptation but there’s a fresh modern feel to the production too, it’s not some tired pastiche. I guess if you’re looking for a contemporary comparison, Michael Kiwanuka springs to mind in the way that he fuses the old and new so seamlessly. So to sum up, if you’re a fan of modern soul, full of romance and heartbreak and infused with classic Motown and Philly Soul ingredients, then this is for you.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Come Around And Love Me
2. If You Donʼt Want My Love
3. Lost
4. Thatʼs All I Wanted From You
5. Please Show Me
Side B
6. Just Like You Used To
7. What A Difference She Made
8. Give Me Another Day
9. So Glad I Found You
10. It Takes A Fool
11. Rapture


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