Kandace Springs Forward With ‘Soul Eyes’ Album Debut

Kandace Springs first turned ears two years ago. Her self-titled debut EP netted the singer/songwriter/pianist a late-night trifecta (Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon) plus gigs at the Bonnaroo and Afropunk festivals.

However, early fans expecting more of the well-received EP’s Pop & Oak-produced (Nicki Minaj, Miguel) contemporary R&B/hip-hop sound won’t hear it on Springs’ full-length debut, Soul Eyes (June 24, Blue Note). “The EP came out cool,” says Springs, the daughter of noted Nashville session singer Scat Springs. “But I wanted to go back and find out who I am.”

Just as soulful as Springs’ EP, Soul Eyes reveals the jazz and pop influences — Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Roberta Flack and later Norah Jones — that the Nashville native began embracing as a 10-year-old tinkering with melodies on the piano. Helping the newcomer foster her own organic style: her longtime production collaborators Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers of SRP (who discovered and signed a teenaged Rihanna). The pair also brought in Grammy-winning producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell).

Then a chance online encounter gave Springs even more personal insight from a surprising source. After hearing her cover of Sam Smith’s “Stay with Me” on Okayplayer, Prince invited her to play with him at Paisley Park for the 30th anniversary of Purple Rain. Recalls Springs, “From the beginning when I played some jazz standards for him, Prince said, ‘Be who you are: minimal production, live instruments; center on your voice.’ He was absolutely right.”

The 11-track Soul Eyes features an eclectic mix of originals and covers about love and romance that cater perfectly to Springs’ alluring alto and innovative piano arrangements. Trumpeter Terence Blanchard guests on the title track, a reinterpretation of the jazz classic by Mal Waldron. Springs also intriguingly reimagines songs by Shelby Lynne (“Thought It Would Be Easier,” “Leavin’”) and War (“The World Is a Ghetto”).

Blanchard returns on the slow jam “Too Good to Last,” co-written by Springs, Greg Wells (Adele) and Lindy Robbins. Additional originals co-penned by Springs with Sturken, Rogers and others include the mid-tempo “Novocaine Heart” (a Prince favorite, says Springs) and the transcendent “Rain Falling” — a song the 27-year-old wrote in her teens.

“I was 16 or 17, inspired by a George Shearing arrangement of the song ‘I’ll Never Be the Same,’” explains Springs. “I loved how his chords change, so I sat down and started making my own cluster chord changes. And the lyrics carry a poetic kind of feel; simple but beautiful. That song is who I am in pure rawness.”

Having wrapped six shows with Blue Note labelmate Gregory Porter on June 19 as well as a solo date at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles, Springs will play Joe’s Pub in New York on June 28.