''Evolution'' (stylized as ''EVOLution'') is the second
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American singer
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (born May 11, 1999) is an American singer and actress. Carpenter made her acting debut with an appearance in the television crime show ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and had a recurring role on Fox Broadcasting ...
, released on October 14, 2016, by
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records l ...
.
Sabrina began recording the album in 2015, shortly after the launch of her first studio album, ''
Eyes Wide Open'' until 2016. Musically, ''Evolution'' is a
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
record,
which departs from the
folk-pop
Folk-pop is a musical style that may be 1) contemporary folk songs with large, sweeping pop arrangements, or 2) pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Recording production values created a unblemished style that appealed to ...
and
teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop" About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Teen pop incorporates different subgenres of pop music, as well as elements o ...
sound of its predecessor.
The album received positive reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, commercially the album debuted at number 28 on the US
''Billboard'' 200 and sold 11,500 copies in its first week.
"
On Purpose" was released as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from ''Evolution'' on July 29, 2016. It was followed by promotional singles "
All We Have Is Love" and "Run and Hide" shortly before the album's release. "
Thumbs" was the second and last single released from the album. The album was promoted with several appearances and performances. To further promote the album, Carpenter embarked on her first headlining concert tour, "Evolution Tour" in the fall as well as "The De-Tour" during Summer.
Singles
The lead single from the album, "
On Purpose", was released on July 29, 2016. "
Thumbs" impacted
Top 40 radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
as the second single from the album on January 3, 2017.
Promotional singles
The album was made available for pre-order and the first promotional single, titled "
All We Have Is Love", was released on September 23, 2016.
"Run and Hide" was released as the second promotional single on September 30, 2016.
Tour
Carpenter embarked on the ''Evolution Tour'' through America to promote the album. It kicked off on October 18 and ended on December 13. Another one followed called "The De-Tour", in which she toured both America and Canada during the Summer, featuring
Alex Aiono
Martin Alexander Aiono (; born February 16, 1996) is an American singer, record producer, and actor from Phoenix, Arizona. Aiono is known for his videos on YouTube, which have amassed over 1 billion views, and his social media presence with upwa ...
and
New Hope Club
New Hope Club is a British pop trio formed in 2015, consisting of Reece Bibby, Blake Richardson, and George Smith. Their debut EP, ''Welcome to the Club'', was released through Steady Records/ Hollywood Records on 5 May 2017; the band relea ...
as special guests.
Critical reception
''Evolution'' was met with positive reviews, with critics complimenting Carpenter's sense of maturity and growth on the album in comparison to her debut album. Christine M. Sellers of ''The Celebrity Cafe'' wrote that Carpenter "proves she's not just another Disney darling transitioning through her teenage years" and that the album "showcases Carpenter's growth as both a songwriter and a vocalist".
Brittany Goldfield Rodrigues of ''Andpop'' gave the album 3.8 thumbs up, saying that "with ''Evolution'', Sabrina is showing a mature musical side, willing to experiment with techno beats, lyrics and what she can do vocally. She provides an interesting indie yet synth take on pop music, and has clearly found a unique sound that she shines in, that separates her from the rest".
Matt Collar from
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
gave the album a rating of 3.5 out of 5, noting its
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
sound and describing it as a "mix of heartfelt
acoustic balladry,
R&B-influenced
pop, and
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
-oriented anthems.
Commercial performance
''Evolution'' debuted at number 28 on the US
''Billboard'' 200 and sold 11,500 copies in its first week.
Track listing
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Evolution''.
Recorded, engineered, mixed and mastered at
* Santa Monica, California
* North Hollywood, California
* London, United Kingdom
* Hollywood, California
* Los Angeles, California
* New York City
Performers and production
* Sabrina Carpenter – vocals ; backing vocals
* Ido Zmishlany – production, engineering ; additional vocal engineering ; mixing
* Nolan Wescott – piano, vocal engineering
*
Serban Ghenea
Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer.
Early life and education
Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...
– mixing
* Erik Madrid – mixing
* Jorge Gutierrez – mixing assistant
* Steve Mac – production
* Priscilla Renea – backing vocals
* Chris Laws – engineering
* Dan Pursey – engineering
*
Mitch Allan
Mitchell Allan Scherr, known professionally as Mitch Allan, is an American record producer, songwriter, and musician. He has written and produced songs for artists such as Demi Lovato, Third Eye Blind, Miley Cyrus, Carlie Hanson, Jason Derulo, ...
– lead vocals recording
*
Phil Tan Phil Tan is a Malaysian-American music and audio engineer.
Early life and education
Tan was born in Malaysia. He attended Full Sail University in Florida in the U.S., where he attained a degree in Recording Arts in 1990. Afterwards he moved to Atla ...
– mixing
* Jimmy Robbins – production, engineering
* Ryan Ogren – production, engineering, guitar, synth, bass, programming, backing vocals
* Halatrax – production, engineering, programming, backing vocals
* Nick Bailey – backing vocals
* Rob Persaud – production, engineering
* DJ Daylight – production, engineering
* Afshin Salmani – production, engineering, mixing, backing vocals
* Josh Cumbee – production, engineering, mixing, backing vocals
*
Chris Gehringer
Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered recordings such as Gwen Stefani's '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004), Rihanna's '' Loud'' (2010), Lady Gaga's '' Born This Way'' (2011) and Drake' ...
– mastering
Design
* David Snow – creative direction
* Anabel Sinn – art direction, design
* Harper Smith – photography
Charts
Release history
References
{{Authority control
Hollywood Records albums
Sabrina Carpenter albums
2016 albums