Evolution (Anastacia album)

Evolution is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Anastacia. It was released on September 15, 2017 through Four Eyez Productions, Polydor Records and Universal Music Group. This marked Anastacia's first album of original material in three years since Resurrection (2014). A pop rock album with dance elements, the album was preceded by the release of one single—"Caught in the Middle".

Background and promotion
The album was chiefly recorded and produced by Swedish musician Anders Bagge and recorded in Stockholm, while Anastacia was still on her Ultimate Collection Tour during the summer of 2016. Regarding the album title, she said: "At first I wanted to title this album Stamina, but the word sounded too clinical. When I wrote it, I realized I was stronger than I thought. I would like to awaken strength and courage in my listeners too." Her record company Universal Music Group described the album as "pure energy with bursting rock numbers, catchy pop songs and touching ballads."

Promotion
In support of the album, Anastacia performed on Starnacht in der Wachau on September 1, 2017, followed by an appearance on the Nürburgring on September 10, 2017. From September 10 to 14, Anastacia did several interviews in radio stations, such as Bayern 1, RTL Radio Center, Hamburg Zwei, and Hamburg Journal. On September 29, 2017, she was a guest on German talk show Riverboat. On December 14 2017, Anastacia performed the ballad "My Everything" at the José Carreras Gala in Germany.

Singles
Evolution's first and only single "Caught in the Middle" was written by Anders Bagge, Lauren Dyson, Javier Gonzalez, and Ninos Hanna and released digitally on July 28, 2017. A video for the song was released one week later on August 4, 2017 on VEVO.

Critical reception
The Guardian critic Rachel Aroesti rated the album three out of five stars and wrote: "Evolution, [Anastacia's] seventh album, is unlikely to propel her back into similar levels of stardom, but it once again provides a welcome alternative to the current pop status quo – a slightly nauseating sound that mixes nursery rhyme chants with loud, abrasive production. Managing to feel anthemic in a gentler and more pleasingly melodic way, its songwriting proves as robust as Anastacia’s still inimitable pipes, genre-hopping between rock, dance and slower, musical-style numbers with dexterity and warmth." Renowned for Sound editor Haydon Benfield remarked that "much like her previous records, Evolution places Anastacia’' powerful mezzo-soprano at the centre of proceedings with the music providing an eclectic – yet coherent blend of electronic and dance, funk and soul, and rock and pop. So perhaps Evolution is a bit of a misnomer, but Anastacia’s music does continue to provide a refreshing – if not fresh – alternative to the usual pop offerings [...] With Evolution, Anastacia continues to offer a solid alternative to mainstream pop although it won’t see her racing back up the charts."