Eve-Olution
Upon her1999 debut release, Eve Jeffers described herself as "a pit bull in a skirt," but each of her subsequent albums have allowed hip-hop's favorite bombshell to successfully upgrade her image. At this point in her career, Eve is reppin' for the smart and stylish urban female on the go. Graced with witty lyrics (for the most part penned by Ms. Jeffers herself) and just-commercial-enough music,Eve-olutionallows the Philly rapper's strong personality and considerable mic skills to shine. The radio-friendly "Gangsta Lovin'" (with the always-buoyantAlicia Keyshandling hook duty) and the flirtatious banter of "Figure You Out" (a duet with the up-and-coming rapper-producer, Teflon) underscore the fact that this girl's got game and doesn't care who knows it. Eve's hardcore side is nicely showcased on such tunes as "Ryde Away" (produced by the consistently brilliant Bink) and "Double R What," which features her fellow Ruff Ryders,JadakissandStylesof the Lox.--Rebecca Levine