Produced by rapper/producer Dred Scott, Adriana Evans' self-titled debut is a twelve song experience through a realm without boundaries, a locale where exploration is the first commandment, discovery the second, and restriction an unpardonable sin. A gifted singer/songwriter blessed with a voice and style reminiscent of the late, great Minnie Ripperton, Adriana Evans' songs evoke a vast range of emotions, blending the sounds of R&B, hip hop, and jazz on her PMP/Loud/RCA Records debut album.
Exhibiting a notable quality of sheer confidence, Adriana was born to sing. It's in her genes, her heritage. Her mother, Mary Stallings, spent some time on stage, singing behind such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie. With the addition of having legendary saxophonist Pharoah Sanders as her godfather, music has been for Adriana a wonderful essence of life.
"Jazz has always been my background. Because my mom sang with Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie, I basically grew up listening to jazz along with soul music and hip-hop, but jazz is my foundation. My influences, vocally, were Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, and Carmen McCrae...these are the people that I really listened to a lot. I think the album has a lot of those overtones because those are my roots. I basically went back to what I knew best, and that is straight ahead jazz," Evans explains.
Born and raised in San Francisco as an only child surrounded by loving relatives, Adriana's childhood and teenage years were colored by the intense musical scene of the city during that time. While growing up in the Bay Area, it was not unusual to see such diverse acts as BB King, Jefferson Airplane, Tower of Power, Miles Davis, or Sly and The Family Stone on the same bill, sharing music for music's sake. "I tagged along with my mother to various festivals and clubs throughout the world. Occasionally, she'd pull me up on stage, but I didn't really hit the jazz circuit." Her mother still tours Europe and has several critically acclaimed albums.
Adriana left San Francisco when she was 18 and moved to her present home of Los Angeles to attend college. It was there where she met producer/collaborator Dred Scott. "It had nothing to do with music. It was so far removed from the music business, but its weird how energy and karma work. You never know the reason why you meet people, but things just kind of developed. We became friends and we worked together, coming up with incredible melodies. He's so well versed in music in general: jazz, blues, everything." Evans sang on a Dred Scott hip-hop composition in 1993, "Check The Vibe," which was released on his "Breaking Combs" album. Evans recalls: "We realized that we worked well together. From there, it just grew into another song, and another song, and here we are with an album."
Using all the diverse elements of jazz, soul, funk, and R&B has created a rich tapestry of songs on "Adriana Evans". "We had a complete autonomy on this record, which is very rare. For me, it's very important that I express myself musically and artistically. But I realize that there is an audience and it's equally important that the audience gets it."
Evans came to the attention of PMP records CEO Paul Stewart about three years ago when he heard an obscure demo that featured Evans. Evans came to Stewart's attention again, this time visually, in the "Check The Vibe" video. He called Scott and asked for a tape, but was unable to do anything independently. He passed the demo on to friends at Capitol, who signed Evans. She recorded, but Capitol was in the midst of restructuring and closed its Black Music Department. Stewart had just formed PMP Records and immediately signed Evans to the label.
All of the music on "Adriana Evans" was created by Dred Scott and all of the lyrics were written by Evans. Spend a moment listening to the album and the listener gets a feeling of soft sensuality. The music stays true to Evans' and Scott's R&B/ Funk sensibilities with jazz oriented styling. The lyrical content explores the bitter-sweet theme of the experience of life and all that it entails.
Relationships are explored on several different levels on "Adriana Evans". The opening tune, "Love Is All Around," is a song about a different kind of love. "I got tired of the same old love songs," Evans says. "Love goes beyond sex and romantic relationships. I wanted to write a song that said 'look around, open your eyes, love is everywhere!'" The seductive melodies of "Say You Won't" and "I'll Be There" are Adriana's testament to the complexity of romantic relationships." It's about seeing the writing on the wall," Adriana says. "It's about everything your mom told you from the giddy up. Realizing your self worth."
The first single, "Reality," a Roy Ayers-ish, xylophone-laden tune, was written by Adriana during a time when she was living deep in the hood. "We'd be working on music and there would always be chaos happening in the world right outside my window. My writing was definitely colored by what I was experiencing at the time."
Also of note is the throwback to the old-school styled "Lookin' For Your Love," a song that builds subtly and gives the feeling that a lot of thought went into its structure. "That's a special song for me. Growing up in the 80's and being a kid in the early 70's, there was so much great Black music around. Dred and I wanted to do something that referenced that."
Indeed, love is everywhere to be found on "Adriana Evans", an album that successfully melds a range of emotions. "It comes from my soul. I hear certain words and I hear certain melodies. The most important thing to me is to create good music. Ultimately, for me, it's about making people feel good."
"Adriana Evans" is a passionate endeavor, exploring musical boundaries, treating the listener to a discovery of unrestricted creativity, full of inspiring melodies and timeless songs. This singer/songwriter is blessed with a gift, and her debut album is a testament of her love for her craft, and with all the grace of her lineage, it's a modern pleasure.
