There are some artists whose style, sound and personality exude brilliance, and Nashville vocalist Kandace Springs repeatedly demonstrated that she possesses genuine star talent throughout her 16-minute set Tuesday night. As part of the Scene's No-Contact Shows series, she streamed live from her home studio, surrounded by electric and acoustic pianos. Springs did a mix of old songs (two from her debut Soul Eyes) and others from her latest Blue Note LP The Women Who Raised Me, released in March.
Given the music industry's need to comfortably pigeonhole acts in order to ensure ideal marketing situations, it's not surprising that Springs has been deemed a jazz vocalist. In light of the recurring difficulty jazz acts have getting attention outside that idiom, it's a great thing because Springs can do all the technical things demanded of a first-rate improvising vocalist. She has wonderful timing and lyric emphasis, is a master at building and sustaining tension within her tunes. She's also a fine pianist. Springs didn't merely use the piano for chordal support, but weaved impressive runs, octave jumps, swelling phrases and delightful melodic foundations into and throughout her four songs.
This might be a bit unfair not having heard the entire new album, which is a tribute piece dedicated to the singers who've influenced her, but I preferred the two original songs from her debut. On the earlier material, particularly set opener "Neither Old Nor Young," her flair with lyrics and ability to weave a romantic tale was compelling. The same was true of "Too Good To Last," which followed.
Not that she wasn't equally outstanding performing the other tunes. On “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?,” she referenced Dusty Springfield and Barbara Streisand, then proceeded to show through her sensual, soulful delivery and sweeping crescendos near the end the impact of those artists. Her finale, Brian McKnight's “Never Felt This Way” (which you've also heard interpreted by Alicia Keys), was just as powerful. Springs embellished her poignant lead with sweeping chordal flurries and masterful phrasing that perfectly accented the lyrics.
As she said (and sang, mellifluously) upon wrapping up the set, "I'm Kandace Springs, with a K." She's certainly different from many others in the jazz world — a first-rate instrumentalist able to casually throw in quotes from Chopin as if to say "Yes, I know that stuff too," yet also able to execute fiery-hot torch tunes that would melt the heart of the most hardened jazz traditionalist.
It's not too much of a stretch to compare Springs to Sarah Vaughan or Carmen McRae, two esteemed and magnificent vocalists who were also A-list pianists. Even if she's not quite there yet, Springs is well on her way to doing the same thing as labelmate Norah Jones: attracting a fresh and youthful audience to jazz by combining amazing artistry with hypnotic performance and endearing personality.
