Ezra Collective Dance, No One's Watching

Critic's Take

Ezra Collective arrive with a jubilant, spiritually inflected third record, Dance, No One's Watching, where the best songs - “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing” and “No One's Watching Me” - crystallise the album's charm. The reviewer's voice finds the band balancing introspection and party energy, praising Yazmin Lacey's silky turn on “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing” and Olivia Dean's rich vocals on “No One's Watching Me” as standout pairings. The record's highlights also include the epic momentum of “Ajala” and the anthemic sweep of “Hear My Cry”, which together map the album's mix of mellow and rapid sonics. Overall, the best tracks deliver communal, joyous urgency while keeping the group's signature warmth intact.

Key Points

• The best song, “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing”, is best for its silky vocal partnership and embodiment of the album's communal dance theme.
• The album's core strength is its blend of spiritual, communal dance motifs with accessible, melodic songwriting and eclectic sonic touches.

Themes

Critic's Take

Ezra Collective ask you to move on Dance, No One's Watching, and the best tracks - notably “Ajala” and “Everybody” - make that plea irresistible with pounding grooves and joyous horn lines. Ben Lee’s review praises the record’s pivot into hard funk, dub and highlife, singling out “Ajala” for its irresistible energy and “Everybody” for its euphoric, celebratory payoff. He also flags the quieter triumphs - from Yazmin Lacey’s cushioning neo-soul on “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing” to Olivia Dean’s stunning turn on “No One's Watching Me” - as proof the band can move you without frenzied tempo. The album reads as a communal invitation to dance and belong, equal parts big-room ambition and late-night soul.

Key Points

• “Ajala” is best for its irresistible highlife and Afrobeat energy that keeps listeners moving.
• The album's core strengths are its dancefloor-ready grooves, communal spirit, and successful fusion of jazz with Afrobeat, funk and neo-soul.

Themes

Critic's Take

Ezra Collective’s Dance, No One's Watching is unabashedly built for movement, and the review shows why the best songs on the album - “Ajala” and “Streets Is Calling” - push you to the floor. Nugent writes with giddy admiration, celebrating how horns, Tony Allen-style drums and Joe Armon-Jones’s keys make “Ajala” an apex of ecstatic interplay. The quieter groove of “N29” and the jaunty piano of “Shaking Body” are noted as memorable moments, but it is the dense, highlife-infused rush of “Streets Is Calling” that stands out as a late highlight. Overall the record is praised as their most joyous yet, a triumphant follow-up that traffics in irresistible rhythms and gleeful genre-melding.

Key Points

• “Ajala” is the best song because it is described as the party’s apex with ecstatic horns and irresistible rhythms.
• The album’s core strength is its joyous, dance-first fusion of calypso, dub, Afrobeat, jungle and carnival delivered with live energy.

Themes

Critic's Take

Ezra Collective sharpen an Afrobeat-inflected, uptempo pulse on Dance, No One's Watching, and the best tracks - “The Herald”, “Ajala” and “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing” - show why. Ammar Kalia praises the sibling rhythm section and the thumping syncopations that make “The Herald” and “Ajala” kinetic standouts, while he notes Yazmin Lacey's feature on “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing” moves into luscious neo-soul. He also highlights quieter pieces like “Why I Smile” and “Everybody” as deeply emotive, suggesting the album balances celebration with introspection. The review reads as confident: these are songs crafted for listening as much as for the dancefloor.

Key Points

• The Herald is the best for sheer kinetic Afrobeat syncopation driven by the Koleoso rhythm section.
• The album's core strengths are its rhythmic variety and balance between dancefloor energy and quiet, emotive moments.

Themes

Critic's Take

Ezra Collective's Dance, No One's Watching is an infectious, meticulously sequenced jazz odyssey that earns its best songs by sheer appetite for movement and collaboration. The record's standouts - “The Herald”, “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing” and “Streets is Calling” - crystallize the album's strengths: euphoric afrobeat flourishes, velvet vocals and joyous interplay. Ben Forrest's tone is celebratory and slightly reverent, noting how these tracks make you move while showcasing the band's improvisational dexterity and taste for guest sparks. This is a record that rewards whole-album listening, but these tracks answer the question of the best songs on Dance, No One's Watching with persuasive, dancefloor-ready confidence.

Key Points

• The Herald is the best track for its euphoric afrobeat-influenced jazz and nostalgic Nigerian funk echoes.
• The album's core strengths are its danceable grooves, inventive collaborations, and seamless album-as-journey sequencing.

Themes

Critic's Take

Ezra Collective's Dance, No One's Watching is a celebratory document of live energy that foregrounds tracks like “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing” and “No One's Watching Me” as the album's magnetic moments. Dan McCarthy writes with bright, affectionate clarity, framing the record as an ode to dance and the city - a set that mirrors the highs and lows of a night out and thrives when it lets the crowd in. He highlights the highlife shimmer of “Palm Wine” and the memorable guest turns on “Streets Is Calling” as further evidence of a band stretching their palette while keeping the floor moving.

Key Points

• The best song is driven by memorable featured vocals and dancefloor immediacy, making it a highlight of the album.
• The album's core strengths are its live energy, cross-cultural influences, and celebration of London and global dance traditions.

Themes