Artists like Jalen Ngonda only come around once in a lifetime, so it is our privilege and pleasure to announce the release of his debut album Come Around and Love Me.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Jalen live knows that he is one of the most captivating artists on the soul scene today. His voice, equal parts raw emotion and elegance, exudes confidence and charm - disarming packed halls of boisterous concertgoers who listen silently to every syllable sung.

The plans for the album were made just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic paralyzed the world. Nonetheless, Jalen eventually made it to Hive Mind Studios in Brooklyn, NY, where he began writing and recording with the help of producers/arrangers Mike Buckley and Vincent Chiarito (both members of Charles Bradley's Extraordinaires) and a top-notch team of musicians from the Daptone family. The team skillfully blends heavy arrangements and introspective lyrics with Motown sophistication, and one sinks into a wave of bliss while listening to the music.

Jalen has been writing songs since he was 14 years old and his compositions are very much in the spirit of that time. He explains: "I love music from the 20th century - I listen to it all the time, but I'm in this world and in the 21st century. To a stranger, I would describe my music as modern soul and R&B, while I try to put the Beach Boys and the Beatles somewhere in between."

"Come Around and Love Me" shows him taking a classic approach rooted in the sounds of revered pioneers without falling into imitation - leaving no doubt that Jalen will continue to shine in the towering, timeless musical tradition that is Daptone's trademark. Now it's your turn to love one of the best soul albums of the decade.