Jalen Ngonda performs at the Swedish American Hall in San Francisco on Sept. 14, 2024. Imani Sires/STAFF.

SAN FRANCISCO — When Jalen Ngonda took the stage at Swedish American Hall, he was greeted to a long applause from a capacity crowd. Ngonda, dressed in a copper button-down shirt and brown slacks, placed his electric guitar around him, smiled and confidently led his band to a lively version of “Rapture,” from his 2023 album, Come Around And Love Me.

“Welcome to San Francisco!” one person yelled. Ngonda responded with a soulful howl – something reminiscent of Prince or David Ruffin – showcasing his electrifying vocal range.

It would be easy to label Ngonda as a throwback, recapturing a style of soul music made popular by early Motown acts of the ’60s. But this sort of label feels a bit limiting. The Maryland native who now lives in the U.K. has garnered attention from the likes of Snoop Dogg and Elton John. Of the 17 songs Ngonda performed, only four were covers, with three — “Day By Day,” “Didn’t I Fool You” and “My Dearest Darling”— were straightforward R&B. It was a multifaceted show. Sonically, Ngonda was perhaps trying to capture the mood of a bygone era but more importantly, he was using the style of that era to spark genuine joy. To that end, he was a hit.

“Feel free to dance,” he proposed early on. “We are just pulling out of the driveway.”

He then moved to “Day By Day,” an uplifting cover of an Eddie Kendricks (The Temptations) song for which he seemed perfectly suited. It showcased the higher register of Ngonda’s vocal range. But he could just as easily bring his voice low.

His performance style was largely marked by sudden jolts of his body, as if to toss something to the audience he hoped it would return. On “Give Me Another Day,” he asked the crowd to sing with him, which attendees were more than willing to do.

“San Francisco, you know I love…” he ad-libbed. The crowd responded with a melodic refrain of “Give me…Give Me.”

After previewing a new song, “Anyone in Love,” Ngonda moved to “Come Around and Love Me,” the title track of his album which provided most of the material for the 90-minute performance. It also marked the moment I began to wonder how comfortable he was moving away from his energetic vocals.

“The next song is a slower one,” he announced, as if on cue. He moved onto “Lost,” a slow dance tune.

MT Jones performs at Café du Nord in San Francisco on Sept. 14, 2024.

Ngonda then picked up the pace with the funky “Didn’t I Fool You,” Ruby Andrews cover, and one of his most well-known tracks in “If You Don’t Want My Love.” After a brief break, he returned alone to perform the first two songs of his encore; just him and his guitar. The first was a cover of “My Funny Valentine,” a crooner ballad made popular by Chet Baker. He wailed “Stay, little valentine,” as if imploring the audience not to leave so quickly.

The next was a soulful rendition of the Etta James hit “My Dearest Darling.” On the song’s final note, the band returned to the stage.

“So, do you want to hear a few more songs?” he asked, before taking a drink from a water bottle, tilting his body and leaning passionately toward the microphone.

Liverpool native MT Jones opened the show with his own set of ’60s- and ’70s-influenced songs that leaned both on Motown and the Northern Soul music of England that it influenced.