Dance, No One's Watching
| Dance, No One's Watching | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 27 September 2024 | |||
| Length | 57:44 | |||
| Label | Partisan | |||
| Producer | Ezra Collective | |||
| Ezra Collective chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Dance, No One's Watching | ||||
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Dance, No One's Watching is the third studio album by London jazz quintet Ezra Collective, released on 27 September 2024 by Partisan Records. It was preceded by two singles.
Background and release
Dance, No One's Watching is the band's follow-up to their Mercury Prize-winning 2022 album Where I'm Meant to Be.[1][2]
The album's first single, "Ajala", was released on 24 April 2024.[3] The song was recorded in Lagos in October 2023.[3] It was named after Nigerian writer Olabisi Ajala,[3] as well as being a reference to a Nigerian slang term for someone who can't sit still.[2]
The album was announced on 18 June for a release date of 27 September by Partisan Records.[4] With the announcement came the second single, "God Gave Me Feet for Dancing", featuring vocals from Yazmin Lacey and coming with a music video directed by Tajana Tokyo.[4] Drummer Femi Koleoso talked about the importance of dance in his and his bandmates' lives, and said the song is "meant to look at dancing in a more spiritual capacity, like it's our God-given ability to shake away the badness of life and dance instead."[5]
Live
Along with the album, the band announced a tour of Europe from July through November.[4] The tour culminated with a headlining concert at Wembley Arena on November 15, the first time a British jazz act headlined at the venue.[6]
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.2/10[7] |
| Metacritic | 85/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [9] |
| Clash | 8/10[10] |
| The Independent | [11] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[12] |
| Mojo | [13] |
| MusicOMH | [14] |
| NME | [15] |
| The Observer | [16] |
"Ajala" was nominated for Best Independent Track at the 2024 AIM Independent Music Awards, but lost to Sampha's "Spirit 2.0".[17] Dance, No One's Watching was ranked 33rd on Mojo's 75 Best Albums of 2024 list.[18]
Track listing
All music is composed by Femi Koleoso, Ife Ogunjobi, James Mollison, Joe Armon-Jones, and TJ Koleoso (Ezra Collective), except where noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 1:22 | ||
| 2. | "The Herald" | 3:45 | ||
| 3. | "Palm Wine" | 5:13 | ||
| 4. | "Cloakroom Link Up (Act 1)" |
| 0:24 | |
| 5. | "God Gave Me Feet for Dancing" (featuring Yazmin Lacey) |
| 3:59 | |
| 6. | "Ajala" | 4:22 | ||
| 7. | "The Traveller" |
| 1:13 | |
| 8. | "In the Dance (Act 2)" |
| 0:42 | |
| 9. | "N29" | 3:22 | ||
| 10. | "No One's Watching Me" (featuring Olivia Dean) | Dean |
| 4:22 |
| 11. | "Our Element (Act 3)" |
| 0:38 | |
| 12. | "Hear My Cry" |
| 3:31 | |
| 13. | "Shaking Body" | 3:12 | ||
| 14. | "Expensive" | Fela Kuti | 6:11 | |
| 15. | "Streets Is Calling" (featuring M.anifest and Moonchild Sanelly) |
|
| 2:33 |
| 16. | "Lights On (Act 4)" |
| 0:39 | |
| 17. | "Why I Smile" | 5:10 | ||
| 18. | "Have Patience" | 2:00 | ||
| 19. | "Everybody" | 5:14 | ||
| Total length: | 57:44 | |||
Personnel
Ezra Collective
- Femi Koleoso – drums
- TJ Koleoso – bass
- Ife Ogunjobi – trumpet
- James Mollison – tenor saxophone
- Joe Armon-Jones – synthesiser
Additional musicians
- Yazmin Lacey – vocals (5)
- Olivia Dean – vocals (10)
- M.anifest – vocals (15)
- Moonchild Sanelly – vocals (15)
Technical
- Ezra Collective – producers
- David Wrench – mixing engineer
Charts
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] | 76 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[20] | 6 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[21] | 7 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[22] | 2 |
References
- ^ Griffiths, George (7 September 2023). "Mercury Prize 2023: Ezra Collective announced as winner of 2023 Mercury Prize". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ a b Richards, Will (25 April 2024). "Ezra Collective return with energetic new single "Ajala"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ a b c Dwyer, Ross (24 April 2024). "Ezra Collective Drops New Single "Ajala"". Hypebeast. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ a b c Corcoran, Nina (18 June 2024). "Ezra Collective Announce New Album and Tour, Share Video for New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Sacher, Andrew (18 June 2024). "Ezra Collective announce new album Dance, No One's Watching, share song ft. Yazmin Lacey". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Coney, Brian (25 April 2024). "Ezra Collective Release New Single, "Ajala"". DJ Mag. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ "Dance, No One's Watching by Ezra Collective reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ "Dance, No One's Watching by Ezra Collective Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ Jurek, Thom. "Ezra Collective – Dance, No One's Watching". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ McCarthy, Dan (25 September 2024). "Ezra Collective – Dance, No One's Watching". Clash. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ Nugent, Annabel (27 September 2024). "Ezra Collective review, Dance, No One's Watching: A thrillingly kinetic call to the dancefloor from last year's Mercury Prize winners". The Independent. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ Sigston, Izzy (27 September 2024). "Dance, No One's Watching is a powerful tapestry from Ezra Collective". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ Eccleston, Danny (December 2024). "Ezra Collective - Dance, No One's Watching". Mojo. p. 92. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ Hogwood, Ben (27 September 2024). "Ezra Collective – Dance, No One's Watching". musicOMH. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ Lee, Ben (27 September 2024). "Ezra Collective – Dance, No One's Watching review". NME. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ Kalia, Ammar (27 September 2024). "Ezra Collective: Dance, No One's Watching review – new moves with an emotive edge". The Observer. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
- ^ Smirke, Richard (17 October 2024). "Neneh Cherry, Sparks & Jorja Smith Among Winners at 2024 AIM Awards". Billboard. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ^ "Mojo''s 75 Best Albums of 2024". albumoftheyear.org. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Ezra Collective – Dance No One's Watching" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2024.