Jalen Ngonda Soars To Fresh Soul Heights On Anticipated Sophomore LP ‘Doctrine of Love’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

It feels like just yesterday that we were introduced to Jalen Ngonda, the nostalgic yet singular soul crooner. On his 2023 debut, Come Around and Love Me, we met a young, ambitious soul musician hellbent on stamping his name in the contemporary revival scene, and he did so with flying colors. Ngonda’s debut project was a runaway success, sending him on a tour, garnering critical acclaim, and even receiving a co-sign from Elton John himself. Seemingly, Ngonda’s wildest dreams were coming to fruition, cementing him as yet another torchbearer for a burgeoning movement of soul traditionalists. 

It is no easy task to stand out in a scene lousy with half-hearted attempts at capturing a sound that was established decades ago, but Ngonda aims to do exactly that on Doctrine of Love. The highly anticipated sophomore LP from the Maryland-born, London-based singer/songwriter is a strong, honed attempt to showcase the individuality Ngonda brings to the scene. However, these ten songs don’t play as though they are reaching for a grand statement. It is in the subtleties of Ngonda’s songwriting that Doctrine of Love highlights how the artist is modernizing these tropes rather than copying them. Not an outright concept album, but a thematic, cinematic, detail-oriented exploration of the longing side of soul, lined with soaring, stunning vocal performances and poetic songwriting. Doctrine of Love is far from a statement piece, but another, much-needed, deeply personal look into one of contemporary soul’s brightest stars. 

Much like the soul vocalists who came before him, Ngonda is the lone star of the show on his sophomore effort. Production-wise, handled by the great Michael Buckley and Vincent Chiarito, is far from something to ignore. However, it is where Doctrine of Love aligns with its peers. While the gospel-tinted “Mr. Train Conductor” and the bluesy “I Can’t Ever Leave You” allow Ngonda to show his range while employing nuances from soul-adjacent genres to emphasize the artist’s writing, there are times when the tracklist dips into trope-heavy terrain. Still, even through the familiarity of songs like the gentle yet explosive “Good Good Love,” Doctrine of Love still feels unmistakably Ngonda, with the artist laying his heart bare through revealing, acrobatic melodies. 

While Ngonda and the producers played it safe with the arrangements, the songwriting is where Doctrine of Love showcases the artist’s artistic evolution. Throughout the album, Ngonda grapples with yearning for love in modern times, searching for a reason to believe it still exists. The album opener, “Anyone in Love,” the title track, and the painful heartbreak of “Love is Gone” all highlight the existential, soul-crushing concept that runs throughout this sophomore effort. It is in these moments where the loose concept of Doctrine of Love shines, as the artist intertwines complex emotions with his raw approach. 

Doctrine of Love is a heartfelt, moving ode to finding beauty in pain, strung together by Ngonda’s refreshing take on the topic and sung with the passion of someone who has experienced immense heartbreak. Ngonda crafted a successful continuation, with slight improvements, of the sound he established on his breakthrough debut, pushing himself further up the ranks of contemporary soul without succumbing to today’s tropes.