Listening to Jalen Ngonda’s music feels like stepping into a time machine. The UK-based artist is known for taking inspiration from his love of classic Motown records.
Ngonda’s second album, “Doctrine of Love,” released Friday, channels the sound of his Motown muses with a series of smooth, soulful slow jams.
“Anyone In Love” opens the album with swooning strings and rhythmic conga drums, laying the foundation for Ngonda’s voice as he sings about fearing the end of a relationship.
The album’s titular track follows, blending a low, sultry electric guitar part with steady drums and chimes to create an instrumental sound that reminded me of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black.” The song utilizes signature elements of Motown oldies with backup vocals and brass embellishments in its chorus.
From the beginning, it’s clear the album isn’t meant to be flashy. Drums, tambourine, horns, bass and rhythm guitar stay in their respective lanes on each song, only straying from their consistent parts for brief licks and ornaments. The consistent instrumentals are a strength in the genre, as the steady rhythm makes the songs danceable.
Ngonda’s vocals also don’t do more than they need to. His slightly raspy voice fits perfectly on romantic numbers, and he alternates between airy, falsetto crooning and soulful belting depending on each song’s mood. Though his singing takes center stage in the mix, Ngonda doesn’t feel the need to show off his strong vocal range unnecessarily.
“I Can’t Ever Leave You” features a rare moment of instrumental variation, with a bluesy electric guitar solo as its bridge. The solo comes at the perfect time, around the album’s halfway point, continuing the album’s cohesion while keeping the tracks from blending together too much.
Though many of the album’s songs have relaxed tempos, “Good Good Love” feels like the track most fit for a slow dance. Ngonda sings sweetly expertly in three-four time with lines like “You’ve got that good, good love / Oh ooh, good to me / Oh, like honey from a bee.”
The album ends on a melancholy note with “Taken Out of The Picture,” a song about coming to terms with a partner leaving to be with another. While I expected the last song to be more cheerful, lyrics like “All the while I was persuaded I was your only lover / Oh how could I be so blind?” tug at the heartstrings and leave listeners with a soulful gut punch on their way out.
Given his fully realized sound, it’s hard to believe Ngonda’s first album was released only in 2023. “Doctrine of Love” conveys his artistic passions loud and clear, from broad choices like the album’s analog recording style to lyrical themes like singing to an intermediary on “Mr. Train Conductor,” mimicking the format of Motown classics like “Please Mr. Postman” by The Marvelettes.
“Doctrine of Love” would probably be best listened to on the occasions Motown-style songs are made for — date night, breakup recovery or my personal favorite: Saturday morning cleaning. Whether or not you listen to the oldies Ngonda echoes, I recommend checking it out, and I can’t wait to see what he creates next.
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