Photo courtesy of Mark Evich
(May 22, 2021) Looks can be quite deceiving. At first glance, Mark Evich hardly appears the archetype of the traditional R&B/soul crooner, but the Moscow-born-and-raised singer/producer is breaking all those rules with his unstoppable work regimen and talent. With a handful of EPs and singles already under his belt, Evich has been making strides in his new locale of New York City, where he’s been gigging faithfully at venues like Sofar NYC, Groove and The Bitter End, while also collaborating with alike minds.
Those opportunities along with previously released songs that play like a delicate stream of alt-R&B and street soul -- such as “Rainmaker,” “Montego Bay” and the Kola Rai-featured “Backseat Love” -- have earnestly prepared him for his latest musical presentation, the 2021 release of “Twice Upon a Time.”
(May 22, 2021) Looks can be quite deceiving. At first glance, Mark Evich hardly appears the archetype of the traditional R&B/soul crooner, but the Moscow-born-and-raised singer/producer is breaking all those rules with his unstoppable work regimen and talent. With a handful of EPs and singles already under his belt, Evich has been making strides in his new locale of New York City, where he’s been gigging faithfully at venues like Sofar NYC, Groove and The Bitter End, while also collaborating with alike minds.
Those opportunities along with previously released songs that play like a delicate stream of alt-R&B and street soul -- such as “Rainmaker,” “Montego Bay” and the Kola Rai-featured “Backseat Love” -- have earnestly prepared him for his latest musical presentation, the 2021 release of “Twice Upon a Time.”
Smacked with summery D’Angelo ‘Voodoo’-vibes, the self-produced three-minute gem finds Evich crooning across a palette of dreamy Rhodes chords, acoustic guitar plunks, blessedly stacked vocals and smooth beats. And thanks to the delicate sound mix, handled by Grammy-award winning Miki Tsutsumi (H.E.R.), the song definitely finds a sweet landing spot on the ear. Evich tells us that it’s “the first time I have actually let myself go 101% R&B.” It’s a good vibe on him, especially as he weaves those silky vibes into his flirty cocktail talk (“Gotta make ya mind/baby what’s the deal?/Twice upon a time, tell me if it’s real”) while enduring an uphill battle (“…although your mama knows I’m not ideal”).
Check out “Twice Upon a Time” and let us know if you’re feeling the fairy tale R&B fantasy.
By J Matthew Cobb
Mark Evich - "Twice Upon A Time"