Jalen Ngonda in Berlin

For his 60-minute set on Tuesday night at Berlin’s Frannz Club in the bubbling Prenzlauer Berg area, singer, songwriter and guitarist Jalen Ngonda basically played the tracks from his brilliant 2023 Daptone Records LP “Come Around And Love Me”. His 60s/70s soul sound with tight and crisp arrangements and short 3-minute stories worked explicity well with the sold-out crowd. Jalen threw in a couple of new songs and songs which didn’t make the final cut on the album. His clear falsetto, always with this light scratchy nuance, really took off during the title track and “If You Don’t Want My Love”. Backed by keys, bass, and drums, his songs had this intimate, sincere, and downright soulful touch which is clearly winning his fans over. Jalen plays the UK for the rest of April and is already booked for London’s Roundhouse on March 13th, 2025!