Eve-Olution is the third studio album by American rapper Eve, released by Ruff Ryders Entertainment on August 27, 2002 and distributed through Interscope Records. Production was handled by frequent collaborators Dr. Dre, Swizz Beatz and also Irv Gotti, among others. The album spawned the internationally successful single "Gangsta Lovin'", which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B/Hip-Hop song charts as well as number four in Australia, and debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 133,000 copies[1] while also reaching the top twenty in Canada, France, and Switzerland. For selling over 600,000 copies in the US, it was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
In a positive review, Entertainment Weekly writer said that Eve-Olution is a "more complex and sophisticated sound that dexterously mixes up moods and tones." He also stated that "instead of the record coming off like a pu-pu platter -- a little R&B from column A, a little pop from column B -- it maintains its focus, making it a wholly satisfying experience."[4] Hope Gonzalez of IGN called the album a "smorgasbord of beats" because it "dapples in soul, electronic, and even salsa music to create yet another opus of hip-pop jingles." She also said "Gangsta Lovin'" is "quite different" from most of the tracks on the album because it is "the most radio-friendly track on the album."[5]
Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani said "Eve fares better when the rhythms are sexy and the rhymes are slick".[9]AllMusic noted that the "focus here is less hip-hop and more contemporary R&B, with fewer rappers invited as guests". He dismissed the songs "What" and "Gangsta Lovin'" as "surprisingly mediocre", adding that the guest vocalists are "vamping over bland choruses and Eve contributing only a few good rhymes."[3] He compared the album to Eve's previous releases and claimed "Eve-Olution can't offer as much as either of her first two solid LPs."[3] In contrast, Cinquemani said that "Eve's Eve-Olution might not change the order of the hip-hop food chain as we know it but it's another tight record that will undoubtedly keep her, um, rydin' high."[9]
"Gangsta Lovin'" was released in September 2002 as the first single from the album. In the United States, it peaked at number two on both the Billboard Hot 100 (becoming Eve's second highest-charting song on the chart) and R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.[10] Internationally, it peaked inside the top twenty in most countries such as Norway, New Zealand, Belgium, the UK and Switzerland, among others, except for Austria, where it peaked at forty-one.[11][12]
"Satisfaction" was released as the second and final single from the album in late March 2003. It saw moderate success in the US, reaching at number twenty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number twenty-two on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart.[13] It debuted inside the top twenty in the UK, and dropped off the chart after four weeks.[14] It was a minor hit in the Netherlands, where it only peaked at number eighty-seven.[15]
[7]