Evette

Like most on Eight76’s roster, Evette shuttles between her native Jamaica and South Florida, using both territories to foment her music career. As a result, her debut Lately is smooth and compressed like American R&B while bearing an effortlessly light touch atypical of the best reggae records. Working with in-house songwriter/producer Kenroy “Yahbreeze” Archibald, Evette weaves through breezy but topical cuts such as “Issues and Drama,” a sobering look at domestic abuse, and the delightfully lovelorn title song. At eighteen tracks, the disc offers a little too much to absorb. But with a voice as steady as hers, Evette is clearly no Johnny-come-lately to the art of reggae soul.