Album Review: Jalen Ngonda – Doctrine of Love
3 min read
Some artists spend years trying to recreate the sound of classic soul; Jalen Ngonda seems to inhabit it naturally. Born in Maryland but now based in the UK, he has built a growing reputation on a voice that draws comparisons to the greats of the 1960s and 70s without sounding tribute-y. Following the on from debut album, Come Around and Love Me, Ngonda returns with Doctrine of Love, released via Daptone Records. The title suggests a collection of lessons and observations, delivered through his calling card of warm analogue soul…so let’s find out whether this doctrine is gospel truth, or whether some teachings are better left unpreached!!!
Starting strong, Anyone In Love immediately impresses – a ‘golden age’ feel to this slow-moving, soulful track, from the composition to the use of analogue methods and a distinct lack of synth to the track creates a compelling track, followed by title track Doctrine Of Love – where you immediately notice a similar tempo and skip beat as Amy Winehouse’s smash Back To Black, but the track veers more to the upbeat Motown vibes of the early 1970. Mr. Train Conductor next, a slight hint of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On? riffing in the lead guitar – there’s also parallels to the instrument set up as well, but the overall tone is far more upbeat/less heavy… a good track, and the same can be said for Burning Temptation, which just screams Northern Soul, and Love Is Gone which is a great slow mover, and Jalen’s voice is perfect for these nostalgic soul tracks.
I Can’t Ever Leave You sees a little bit of blues added into the mix, and I for one enjoyed this change up, as it was clearly a shift in tone but retained the underlying motif of the album so far, and this is followed by the very Smokey Robinson-esque Hannah, What’s The Matter?, and then a very swinging slow, almost Martha Reeves-like Good Good Love. Penultimate track Hang It On The Shelf is probably my favourite of the album – I love the speed and vibe of the track, and I think Jalen’s vocals are the perfect match to the beat and bass line. We round off proceedings with Taken Out Of The Picture, which is another strong track… a down tempo groove to bring the curtain down on an album that I can only surmise went exactly as Jalen Ngonda envisaged it would.
Doctrine Of Love is musical nostalgia embodied perfectly in album format. The music feels familiar yet is totally unique, without that lingering feeling of a tribute album. It takes you back to the roots of soul in a way seldom I have heard do – perhaps it’s foolish to draw these comparisons, but I can only think of Back to Black hitting the same chords of nostalgia in (relatively) recent times yet simultaneously being clearly and uniquely the artist’s album. I’m not saying Doctrine of Love will be in the same stratosphere of success, but it certainly is in the same calibre of quality content, and those who love Motown and Northern Soul should check this out.
