Out now, ‘Beyond This Life’ is the new album from Hip-Hop and R&B artist, Rica Evelon. The album, which is dedicated to her mother, who sadly passed away in April 2020, is characterised by its sensuality with hints of sentimentality.
The six-track album, which opens with the smooth flowing track, ‘Feels So Good’, takes a deep dive into Rica’s life, including a look at her past relationships and personal struggles, while sharing the advice she received from her mother. ‘Feels So Good’ is packed full of emotion and has a catchy rhythm that will hold you in sway right from the start. Rica’s vocals are underpinned by gorgeous backing vocals, and a simple R&B instrumental.
Rica Evelon remembers singing to her mother towards the end of her life, and she realised it was time to finally take her next step in her music career. The second track, ‘I Apologize’, retains much of the R&B stylings of the first track, while slowing down the tempo slightly. What is notable about Evelon’s lyricism is that her words are prosaic rather than poetry; this lends itself well to hip hop, which she visits in ‘I Apologize’, and is augmented by retro 80s synths and 90s flows from independent artist Reginae.
Rica Evelon has a style which calls to mind that of Mariah Carey, and ‘Feels So Good’, and ‘The Best’ (track 3) are especially “Mariah-like”. Her vocals are immaculate, and she calls focus on this quality by use of many different layers of vocals. The result is a smooth, harmonic, easy listening rhythm.
‘Imagine That’ pairs Rica’s sensual vocals with a rap verse provided by Tank Washington, the result being a gorgeous fusion of R&B and hip hop.
Track 5, ‘On Your Own’, is Evelon’s homage to her mother, and the Mariah Carey-like soaring vocals add to the sentimentality of the song. Final track, ‘To The Money’, sees Rica incorporate trap beats and funky guitar riffs to slightly explicit lyrics, bringing this incredible album to its conclusion. It’s a classy record that promises great things to come from this artist.
‘Beyond This Life’ is out now and available to stream and download here. You can find out more about Rica Evelon and her music online on Instagram.Â
