Evolution is the fourth album (second published worldwide) by the American vocalist, pianist and songwriter Oleta Adams

Oleta Adams

Oleta Adams is an American soul, jazz, and gospel singer and pianist.-Biography:Adams was born the daughter of a preacher and was raised with gospel music. In her youth her family moved to Yakima, Washington, which is sometimes shown as her place of birth.Before gaining her opportunity to perform,...

 and was released in 1993.

History

Adams followed her worldwide hit album Circle of One

Circle of One

Circle of One is the third album by the American vocalist, pianist and songwriter Oleta Adams and was released in 1990. Circle of One is often considered as Adams' first album, since her two earlier albums were self-financed and only received local distribution.- History :After a successful...

with Evolution, an album fully produced by Stewart Levine

Stewart Levine

Stewart Levine is an American record producer. He has worked with such artists as The Crusaders, Minnie Riperton, Lionel Richie, Simply Red, Boy George, Peter Blakeley, Joe Cocker, Oleta Adams, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Jamie Cullum, Aaron Neville, Sly Stone, Hugh Masekela and Killing Joke.Stewart...

. Like its predecessor, it consisted of songs with a mix of jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

, soul

Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

, pop

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

, adult contemporary and gospel

Gospel music

Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....

. Evolution features three cover versions: the James Taylor

James Taylor

James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....

 song "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight", Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind

New York State of Mind

"New York State of Mind" is a song written by Billy Joel which initially appeared on the album Turnstiles in 1976. While not a hit when it was first released, it has received much more frequent airplay in recent years...

" and Ivan Lins

Ivan Lins

Ivan Guimarães Lins is a Latin Grammy winning Brazilian musician. He has been an active performer and songwriter of Brazilian popular music and jazz for over 30 years. His first hit, Madalena, was recorded by Elis Regina in 1970. Beyond his own performance of his compositions, Simone is his most...

' "Evolution". Adams wrote six of the twelve album tracks, and it also featured a song written by songwriter Diane Warren

Diane Warren

Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...

.

Evolution entered the top 10 in the UK albums chart. However, without the aid of a big hit single, the album dropped quickly and only stayed in the charts for seven weeks. In the USA, the album peaked at #67 and stayed only 13 weeks in the charts. It had more success in continental Europe, most notably in Holland where it peaked at #6 and stayed in the chart for almost a year.

Five singles were taken from the album. The lead single, "I Just Had To Hear Your Voice", failed to become a big hit as "Get Here

Get Here

"Get Here" is a pop ballad written by American singer/songwriter Brenda Russell which became an international hit via a 1990 recording by Oleta Adams, reaching #4 in the UK and #5 in the US....

" had been for her previous album. It peaked at #42 in the UK and did not chart in the US Billboard Hot 100. Other singles failed to chart in both countries. However, they sold better in continental Europe. These were the gospel-tinged "Window of Hope", "Easier To Say (Goodbye)", "My Heart Won't Lie" and "The Day I Stop Loving You".

Track listing

1. "My Heart Won't Lie" (Adams) – 4:42
2. "Hold Me For A While" (Adams) – 5:11
3. "Don't Let Me Lonely Tonight" (James Taylor) – 4:45
4. "When Love Comes To The Rescue" (Adams) – 5:16
5. "I Just Had To Hear Your Voice" (Allen Rich, Jud Friedman) – 3:38
6. "Come When You Call" (Aaron Zigman, Jerry Knight) – 4:14
7. "Easier To Say (Goodbye)" (Adams) – 6:32
8. "Lover's Holiday" (Adams) – 4:11
9. "The Day I Stop Loving You" (Diane Warren) – 5:04
10. "New York State Of Mind" (Billy Joel) – 5:33
11. "Evolution" (Brock Walsh, Ivan Lins) - 3:41
12. "Window Of Hope" (Adams) - 4:24
13. "Oh Me, Oh My (I'm A Fool For You Baby)" (Jim Doris) - 4:39 (Japanese bonus track)

Charts

Chart	Date	Position
Billboard album 200	1993	#67
Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	1993	#20
Dutch album chart	1993	#6
UK album chart	1993	#10