COURTESY INTERSCOPE RECORDS At 23, Eve flaunts her diverse talent as musician, clothing entrepreneur, and actor, as well as her claw tattoos, above.

Eve evolves on
‘Eve-olution’
"Eve-olution"
Eve
Ruff Ryders/Interscope

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By Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.com

Even with all of her celebrityhood, Eve Jihan Jeffers has her head on straight. Here she is with a new album with a boomin' single, plus she's been in two movies this year -- the humongous Vin Diesel vehicle "XXX" and "Barbershop," which opens today.

In the movie she plays a hairstylist, Terri, similar to herself. She told Interview magazine this month, "With Terri, I was like, 'Damn! I'm her.' She's the only girl barber in the whole barbershop, and I'm the only girl in (the rap posse) Ruff Ryders, around dudes all the time. She had a boyfriend who cheated on her, who she kept taking back. She was really a tough girl, but that was her only vulnerability, and I've been in that situation, too."

But Eve's come a long way from her origins in the West Philadelphia projects.

Include a new clothing line called Fetish, and this is one smart 23-year-old who knows how to build on the success that came with her two previous albums: 1999's "Let There Be Eve ... Ruff Ryders First Lady" and one of last year's better rap albums, "Scorpion."

Her new album represents a step toward further artistic -- and emotional -- independence. Eve stepped away from a highly public relationship with her former producer and, without the constant presence in the recording studio of Ruff Ryder company head Darrin Dean (waylaid by a serious motorcycle accident), "Eve-olution" was pretty much all her own doing ... though it didn't hurt to have other producers like Dr. Dre, Irv Gotti and Swizz Beatz in her corner.

Gotti's got Eve's back on the single "Gangsta Lovin'," where this baby girl gets some vocal help from Alicia Keys. The song's a lusty little come-on for some proper lovin'.

Even with all the breakout success Eve's enjoying, she's still down with her Ruff Ryder homies, as "Double R What" proves. The Swizz Beatz production adds a little Spanish lilt combined with a sample from another great Philly rapper, Schoolly D's "P.S.K. (What Does It Mean?)" and guest spots by Jadakiss and Styles.

"Eve-olution" is solid, with no real lows and more than its share of highs. The easy-flowing "Irresistible Chick" finds Eve in all her glory, the rhythm track popping along with an irresistible groove, while "Party in the Rain" slams it down with authority. "Hey Y'all" is a tribute to Queen E, thanks to guest rappers from the West Coast, Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg.

But we're also talking emotional growth here, otherwise it wouldn't truly be an "Eve-olution." The title track's got an interesting vibe, one filled with straight-talking declaratives -- much like the lockstep confidence of "Satisfaction" and the jumpy "Neckbones."

And she even shows a more sensitive side on this album, indulging in a bit of singing on "Let This Go." The confessional, Bill Withers-inspired "Ryde Away" and the "straighten up and doin' right" credo made for the kids on "As I Grow" show that Eve's really doing a'right; thanks for asking.

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