The path of Jalen Ngonda (Daptone Records) has been long and winding. Born in Baltimore and trained in Liverpool (at LIPA, Paul McCartney’s fame school), it feels like a lifetime since he was playing small venues and festivals across Merseyside. I was championing Jalen in 2016 after watching him perform in front of a tiny crowd at Liverpool’s LIMF festival, likening him to Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke and hailing him as the new voice of classic soul. Interviewing Jalen in a coffee shop on Liverpool’s Bold Steet, I found him shy and very quietly spoken. Difficult to believe that this was the same person who could create such magic onstage. I would never have imagined that eight years later, I would be watching this artist on a Saturday night in Bushmills, Brooklyn, now brimming with confidence...