The WAITING is over ... BOOM!!! From the very first sound, the opening drum, bass and tambourine wack at the beginning of track 1 (“Waiting”) you’d be forgiven for thinking the Funk Brother’s were back in the Detroit snake pit. That is until the strings, horns and familiar voice of Adriana Evans soar from the speakers. Adriana’s back in 2010 with a brand new record, the brilliant “WALKING WITH THE NIGHT” (released on Sway Jay records), a stylistic return to the authentic soul magic of her critically acclaimed debut, the 1997 Billboard R&B hit “Adriana Evans”. Once again Evans has teamed up with long-time collaborator, producer and other half, Jonathon “Dred” Scott to create a record of contemporary soul music influenced by the vintage classics of the 60’s through 80’s. Recorded by living, breathing musicians with real instruments; the credits list trumpets, saxophones, flugal horns, flutes, drums, vibes, strings, guitars, keys and bass as being present in the Los Angeles based studio. All complimented by the gorgeous vocals of Adriana herself, daughter of Jazz singer Mary Stallings and god-daughter to jazz saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders. Standouts include the aforementioned opener “WAITING”, a glorious sweet soul gem with a fatback Motown style beat. The first single “WEATHERMAN”; a “Mr. Big Stuff” influenced feel good pop-soul monster complete with “Shoo-doo’s”, the UK soul crowd will love the classy, sparkling title track “WALKING WITH THE NIGHT” and the muted trumpet blown, uptempo dancefloor killer “SURRENDER” (where Adriana implores you to party like it’s 1979). Another highlight is the beautifully sung, vibes led, Philly soul’ish slowie “SOONER OR LATER”, which calms down the bpm’s (if not the heartbeat). Already destined to be highlighted in the end of year albums honors list, “WALKING WITH THE NIGHT” confirms that Adriana Evans is one of the best vocalists of the neo-soul generation. Adriana is back with her best to date. Adriana’s latest album titled Walking with the Night is a horn driven journey of some good old soul music. Not since her self-titled debut has Adriana dropped such a cohesive and groovy album. The Horn-rich arrangements are brilliant with their retro-soul sound. The rhythm arrangements are quite modern and along with the 60’s style horn arrangements makes for a sound that is both beautiful and original. The sickest horn arrangement can be heard on the stand out track “Love me on the One”. Adriana delivers vocally in such a matter that even her peers will have to take notice. Adriana vocally glides over complex grooves and make it seem so easy. Adriana takes her rightful place as the first instrument like a real singer should. For those who have other Adriana albums there are a couple tracks that may sound familiar such as midnight and El sol but these are just jazzy re-workings that are just great, if not better than the originals. Adriana’s Walk with the Night is a collection of Jazzy, Soulful jams that is good from first track to the last and the perfect mood setter for a gathering of friends and drinks. Walk with the night is a must have for all Adriana Evans fans and those who want to hear what musical originality and integrity is all about. Reviewed by AyeJay ‘Da Muzik Hunta’ (From progressivepulse.com) You may not know the name or the voice of singer Adriana Evans but, she’s been around doing things her own way since the mid ’90s when she debuted her self titled album, “Adriana Evans”. Evans never fell into the trap of producing mainstream typical tracks or worse yet, being a one-hit wonder. Four albums under her belt including, “Nomad” and “El Camino”, Adriana has just released her new project, “Walking With The Night”. Unfortunately, due to distribution matters, the album is only available overseas currently but, can be purchased on Amazon for the import price. It’s rumored to be released later this Spring but, I wouldn’t wait! “Walking With The Night” as with her past projects incorporate harmonious lush vocals with real instruments including plenty of well balanced horn arrangements and an overall sound that recounts the Motown era but, never resides too long to feel dated. Evans clearly embraces the music of our soulful past but, it’s her rich vocals and groovy melodies that bring a refreshing layer to today’s musical arena. As an entire project, “Walking With The Night” is a splendid experience to listen to from beginning to end. All 14 tracks flow like a sunny uplifting Summer day which you never want to end. If her first album paralleled the Acid Jazz movement of the time, “Nomad” flirted with rock and electric soul, “El Camino” fleshed out a Latin tinged sensibility and now the latest harkens back to past with songs like “Weatherman” and “Waiting” but, it’s the sensual songs like “Midnight” and “Never Thought” that shine plus favorite groove, “Surrender” that will have you pressing repeat over and over again. It was a brilliant move to recreate a former song of Evans repertoire, “In The Sun” from the first album and transform it into “El Sol”. The latter version takes on a more live and Latin vibe leaving behind the Acid Jazz sounds of the past. Both are brilliant and worth having in your library. I really do hope Adriana Evan’s music hits a wider audience. However, Asia has really propelled her career nicely! It’s uplifting to know there are artists out there that play by their own rules yet continue to offer real music that isn’t cookie cutter crap. Keep doing your thang Ms. Evans – We’re listening!