''Evolution'' is the seventh studio album by American recording artist
Anastacia
Anastacia Lyn Newkirk ( ; born September 17, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter. Her first two studio albums, '' Not That Kind'' (2000) and '' Freak of Nature'' (2001), achieved chart success with the singles " I'm Outta Love", " Not That Ki ...
. It was released on September 15, 2017 through Four Eyez Productions,
Polydor Records
Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...
and
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
.
This marked Anastacia's first album of original material in three years since ''
Resurrection
Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...
'' (2014). A
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...
album with
dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
elements,
the album was preceded by the release of one single—"
Caught in the Middle".
Background and promotion
The album was chiefly recorded and produced by Swedish musician
Anders Bagge
Sven Anders Bagge (; born 16 January 1968) is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician and record producer.
Bagge is one half of the songwriter-producer duo Bagge & Peer, together with Peer Åström. He is also known for his frequent appearances ...
and recorded in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, while Anastacia was still on her
Ultimate Collection Tour during the summer of 2016. Regarding the album title, she said: "At first I wanted to title this album ''Stamina'', but the word sounded too clinical. When I wrote it, I realized I was stronger than I thought. I would like to awaken strength and courage in my listeners too." Her record company
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
described the album as "pure energy with bursting rock numbers, catchy pop songs and touching ballads."
Promotion
In support of the album, Anastacia performed on ''Starnacht in der Wachau'' on September 1, 2017, followed by an appearance on the
Nürburgring
The () is a 150,000-person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long configuration, built in the 1920s ...
on September 10, 2017. From September 10 to 14, Anastacia did several interviews in radio stations, such as
Bayern 1,
RTL Radio Center, Hamburg Zwei, and Hamburg Journal. On September 29, 2017, she was a guest on German talk show ''Riverboat''. On December 14 2017, Anastacia performed the ballad "My Everything" at the ''José Carreras Gala'' in Germany.
Singles
''Evolution''s first and only single "
Caught in the Middle" was written by
Anders Bagge
Sven Anders Bagge (; born 16 January 1968) is a Swedish composer, lyricist, musician and record producer.
Bagge is one half of the songwriter-producer duo Bagge & Peer, together with Peer Åström. He is also known for his frequent appearances ...
, Lauren Dyson, Javier Gonzalez, and Ninos Hanna and released digitally on July 28, 2017. A video for the song was released one week later on August 4, 2017 on
VEVO
Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...
.
Critical reception
''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' critic Rachel Aroesti rated the album three out of five stars and wrote: "''Evolution'',
nastacia'sseventh album, is unlikely to propel her back into similar levels of stardom, but it once again provides a welcome alternative to the current
pop status quo – a slightly nauseating sound that mixes nursery rhyme chants with loud, abrasive production. Managing to feel anthemic in a gentler and more pleasingly melodic way, its songwriting proves as robust as Anastacia’s still inimitable pipes, genre-hopping between
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
,
dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
and slower, musical-style numbers with dexterity and warmth."
''
Renowned for Sound'' editor Haydon Benfield remarked that "much like her previous records, ''Evolution'' places Anastacia’' powerful mezzo-soprano at the centre of proceedings with the music providing an eclectic – yet coherent blend of electronic and dance, funk and soul, and rock and pop. So perhaps ''Evolution'' is a bit of a misnomer, but Anastacia’s music does continue to provide a refreshing – if not fresh – alternative to the usual pop offerings
..With ''Evolution'', Anastacia continues to offer a solid alternative to mainstream pop although it won’t see her racing back up the charts."
Track listing
Charts
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2017 albums
Anastacia albums