Search - Bill Evans :: Soulgrass

The debut release from a 26-year-old Californian who blends jazz and soul with a smokey ease reminiscent of Sade, Deniece Williams, and Minnie Riperton is a satisfying album. Evans wrote all the lyrics, which often examine the gap between the way things should be and the way they are. The first single is "Reality," a jazzy, vibraphone-flavored track that finds Evans contrasting the world of poverty and violence outside her L.A. window with her dreamed-of utopia where she can find "my peace of mind." The likely follow-up single is "Seeing Is Believing," which boasts an irresistible singalong chorus, the stern admonition, "Don't say you love me if you're leaving," and a dreamy scat interlude where Evans seems lost between anger and desire. "Adriana Evans" marks the arrival of a major talent. --Geoffrey Himes