“Evolve” makes for a quietly mighty introduction to the artist that is “Raphael Davis”. The track presents a delicate and dreamlike soundscape that offers a calming backdrop for the reflective, thoughtful lyricism and performance that rides alongside it. “Raphael Davis’ ‘ is a creator and he is a truly brilliant, well-talented young musician. This song talks about the government and the loss of his father to a roadside bomb in Iraq during Operation Iraqi freedom. His brother was just born and he didn’t get to see his dad at all.
You really need to let this play through decent speakers or headphones to get the full effect, and at a reasonably high volume. The details are complex and specific to the sound, though it’s the unity between them that makes this feel so infectiously rhythmic and energizing. The beat is the first thing to grab you. I think more commonly with today’s Gospel Rap it’s the synths or the melody or the sampled vocal that stands out the most, so much so that we forget the power of a mighty beat. As the audience, if you all listen to this awesome, heart-touching track, this whole thing quickly attracts you and will give you thorough thinking about the real world and the victims as well.
The more I listen to this, the more I love it. There’s a mystery to the song, but there’s also a lot to distract you from that – this is music doing its best to keep you preoccupied, to let you escape from reality. The soundscape builds tremendously well as things progress, the artist showcases his superb musicianship more and more so with every moment. The latter half of the single sees the instrumentation explode into new realms of expression, enhancing the mood, bringing the energy higher, giving you space to consider the lyrics in – space, but not quite; quiet is how it all started.
The strange thing about a track as well crafted as this is that it ends far too quickly, regardless of how long it goes on. At over five minutes, you’d think Gospel Rap fans would get their fill from this, but if anything it pulls you in and tempts you to hit replay several times over. There’s something subtly characterful about the sound that is obviously true to the
Raphael Davis approach to creativity. The structure and the whole progression of the soundscape hypnotize and satisfy its listeners in an all-encompassing manner.