(November 3, 2022) There are a lot of songs about the toll that being a creative takes on people. “Writers Block” by Alegbra Blessett and “True” by Spandau Ballet immediately to mind and “25 or 6 to 4” by Chicago is a classic. It’s easy to see why songwriters gravitate to this topic, and that is especially true for an independent artist who has to confront the ebbs and flows of the creative process while being intimately involved with the business aspect of the business. And oh yeah, they still have to drive the kids to school, deal with sick parents and maybe even a 9 to 5 job.
“Pressure,” the new song by Russian émigré and soul man Mark Evich is about the grind. Evich notes that he wrote “Pressure” at a time when the stresses of life were coming to a head. Evich moved to the United States from Russia to pursue his dream of becoming an R&B singer. Let’s face it, Russia is not the country that comes immediately to mind when the topic is European soul singers. Classical definitely. Soul? Definitely not.
Still, it’s clear that Evich knows what he’s doing. He possesses a smooth tenor voice that falls in sync with the tune’s soulful and pensive arrangement. He wants listeners to think about the grind taking place behind the scenes and all that goes into getting a record ready for public consumption.
Evich noted that he wrote “Pressure” during late night drives through Venice Beach at a time when he was dealing with creative tensions and depression. Pressure, the saying goes, breaks pipes, but with this tune Evich has created a musical diamond. Check out Mark Evich’s “Pressure” here.
By Howard Dukes
Mark Evich – “Pressure”
