No one can deny she's already had some explosive singles hit the airwaves - take "Let Me Blow Ya Mind," "Love is Blind" and "Who's that Girl," for instance -- but that's why it shouldn't come as any surprise that Eve has since grown even more as an artist. Her third solo album, "Eve-olution," hit stores last week and contains some of her best work yet. The former stripper (and only female member of Philadelphia's hardcore Ruff Ryders crew) is now a huge star and has definitely taken more creative liberty with her music. And now that she's come into her own, there's no going back.
"Eve-olution" dolls up Eve's gritty hip-hop roots with propulsive pop melodies, high-gloss production and cameos from famous friends like Alicia Keys (on "Gangsta Lovin'") and Snoop Dogg (who plays her innocuous foil on "Hey Y'All").
In reference to her artistic style, Eve, who serves as one of the executive producers for the set, has expressed her own belief in her growth in several interviews about her new album. After listening to the album, it's easy to hear the change. Her new LP is more polished and high profile compared to her old productions. But Eve's intrinsic artistry hasn't changed. In fact, it's her consistency that has given her such a strong following.
The album's first single, "Gangsta Lovin'," featuring Keys, is number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The record also includes the Irv Gotti-produced "Irresistible Chick," a reinterpretation of Prince's "Irresistible Bitch." As the CEO of Murder Inc., Gotti has been noted as the muse for many of the hot singers and rappers in the industry -- Ja Rule, Ashanti and Toni Braxton, among others. Everything he touches blows up, so a track with Eve is likely to be commercially volatile. The album also includes a collaboration with one of the newest breakthrough artists, Truth Hurts, another with the established Doggfather, Snoop, and others with Nate Dogg and Lox members Jadakiss and Styles.
These new collaborations aren't the only pieces she's been adding to her professional resume. Her impeccable style has become so notorious that she has started her own fashion line called "Fetish." She can be seen sporting her new designs on "Eve-olution's"
cover. In addition to dipping into the fashion industry, Eve has also been moonlighting as a thespian and can be seen starring in the upcoming movie "Barbershop."
"Eve-olution" shows Eve's strengths as a woman, as a rapper and as a lyricist. What I've always liked about Eve is her ability to prove all these strengths through smart lines and clever musicality. Her hot styles and songs are what have made her so popular. This is in opposition to many of her counterparts who haven't reached much depth in their rhymes and have not contributed nearly as much to the genre of female rappers.
I can't say there's an overall theme to this album. Eve covers a range of issues, at times addressing romantic relationships, at times addressing skeptics of her music and sometimes just laying out pure party anthems.Some of the beats she has chosen for the tracks are reminiscent of the early 90s -- the days of "In Living Color" -- with a modern twist and with some bebop jazz quality.
"What" is rumored to be the next song to get national radio airplay. However, my personal favorite is "Party in the Rain" because of its catchy chorus and pulsating beats. But each song on the album has its own flavor -- it's easy to pick and choose. What they all have in common is freshness; I've been listening to the album almost continuously since last week.
"Eve-olution" is different from Eve's first two albums in that her establishment within the industry has allowed her to explore new creative avenues.If you liked "The Ruff Ryder's First Lady" and "Scorpion," you're going to like "Eve-olution" just as much, I guarantee it. In fact, I think what Eve is trying to say with the album title, "Eve-olution," is that it's all a game of survival of the fittest, of natural selection. Eve has chosen what she believes works for her music and has left the rest in history.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
