| Dance, No One's Watching | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 27 September 2024 | |||
| Length | 57:44 | |||
| Label | Partisan | |||
| Producer | Ezra Collective | |||
| Ezra Collective chronology | ||||
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| 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
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]| 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 Best Albums of 2024 list.[18]
Track listing
[edit]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
[edit]Ezra Collective
[edit]- Femi Koleoso – drums
- TJ Koleoso – bass
- Ife Ogunjobi – trumpet
- James Mollison – tenor saxophone
- Joe Armon-Jones – synthesiser
Additional musicians
[edit]- Yazmin Lacey – vocals (5)
- Olivia Dean – vocals (10)
- M.anifest – vocals (15)
- Moonchild Sanelly – vocals (15)
Technical
[edit]- Ezra Collective – producers
- David Wrench – mixing engineer
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2024–2026) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] | 76 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[20] | 6 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[21] | 7 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[22] | 2 |
| US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)[23] | 7 |
References
[edit]- ^ 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.
- ^ "The Best Albums Of 2024". Mojo. 23 December 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2025.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Ezra Collective – Dance No One's Watching" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 4/10/2024 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart on 4/10/2024 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 4/10/2024 – Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ "Contemporary Jazz Albums: Week of February 14, 2026". Billboard. Archived from the original on 11 February 2026. Retrieved 11 February 2026.