January 31, 2020
Singer and pianist Kandace Springs — whose soulful singing led her late mentor Prince to praise her “voice that can melt snow” — has announced her newest project, The Women Who Raised Me, out March 27 on Blue Note Records. Produced by GRAMMY-winning producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock) — who produced Springs’ 2016 debut Soul Eyes — The Women Who Raised Me is a tribute album to the female vocalists who most impacted Springs’ music, stylings, and journey.
Alongside the album announcement, Springs has also released the lead single “Pearls,” a song made famous by legendary R&B singer Sade. The track features Kandace on vocals and Rhodes, along with Avishai Cohen on trumpet, Steve Cardenas on guitar, Scott Colley on bass, and Clarence Penn on drums. In a black and white video, Springs is featured in a series of vignettes – performing in a studio and wandering about the city on a quest of self-reflection, her stunning vocals giving a vital energy to an iconic song.
The Women Who Raised Me features renditions of songs made famous by some of history’s most iconic vocalists: Ella Fitzgerald, Roberta Flack, Astrud Gilberto, Lauryn Hill, Billie Holiday, Diana Krall, Carmen McRae, Bonnie Raitt, Sade, Nina Simone, and Dusty Springfield. The Women Who Raised Me also features a cover of and a collaboration with Kandace’s “ultimate inspiration,” Norah Jones.
“This is an album I’ve been wanting to make forever,” says Springs. “It really expresses my love for all of these singers and gratitude for what they gave me. Each taught me something different and all of those lessons combined to make me who I am now.” Tracked live in the studio, the album finds Kandace singing and playing piano in the company of a pare but able band who all have ties to the artists honored here: Steve Cardenas (Norah Jones), bassist Scott Colley (Carmen McRae), and drummer Clarence Penn (Diana Krall) — that allows her remarkable gifts to shine.
While, Kandace Springs is no stranger to collaboration — she’s worked with everyone from the Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah to drummer/producer Karriem Riggins (Common, J Dilla, Kanye) — The Women Who Raised Me features notable contributions from bassist Christian McBride (“Devil May Care”), saxophonist David Sanborn (“I Put A Spell On You”), and, of course, Norah Jones. “I didn’t even know what to think,” says Springs of recording with her first musical love. “It’s something I relive every so often, like, ‘Lord, I can’t believe she’s sitting right there.’ It was nerve-racking. I was like, ‘Get it together, Kandace, let’s do this!’” The result is a warm, swirling duet on Ella Fitzgerald’s “Angel Eyes” — an album highlight that proves that Kandace thrives in elite company.
From a starkly intimate rendition of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” — the song that first caught the ear of Blue Note Records President Don Was when Kandace auditioned for a record deal in 2014 — to a simmering version of Lauryn Hill’s “Ex Factor,” Kandace is able to add an incredible depth of character and emotion to every phrase. Her virtuosic voice and subtle playing reflect a studied yet adventurous approach to reinventing these canonical works.
Read more about The Women Who Raised Me and the specifics behind some of the tracks at DownBeat.com.
In March, Kandace Springs will be doing a four-night run at the Jazz Standard in NYC, showcasing selections off The Women Who Raised Me. For full tour routing, please see here.
The Women Who Raised Me is available for pre-order now on vinyl, CD, or digital download. The track listing is as follows:
- Devil May Care (featuring Christian McBride)
- Angel Eyes (featuring Norah Jones)
- I Put A Spell On You (featuring David Sanborn)
- Pearls (featuring Avishai Cohen)
- Ex-Factor (featuring Elena Pinderhughes)
- I Can’t Make You Love Me (featuring Avishai Cohen)
- Gentle Rain (featuring Chris Potter)
- Solitude (featuring Chris Potter)
- The Nearness Of You
- What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life
- Killing Me Softly With His Song (featuring Elena Pinderhughes)
- Strange Fruit
