Dance, No One's Watching
2024 studio album by Ezra Collective
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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.
| 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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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 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 (2024–2026) | 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 |