Being perfectly honest, I have to confess that I get a TON of albums by female singers, and they tend to all blend in and run together. This one by Kandace Springs really stands out for a variety of reasons.
First, the album concept has a great theme of female vocalists who have influenced her, but she makes each song her own with her late night, last call at the club delivery. Accompanying herself on piano or keyboards, she and her core of Scott Coley/b, Steve Cardenas/g, and Clarence Penn/dr bring in a rotating team of guests to add extra atmospheres, moods and textures. For instance, Christian McBride’s hip bass line serves as a sturdy foundation for Spring’s sleek “Devil May Care” while Norah Jones joins in on the agony for a sepia toned duet of “Angel Eyes”. Chris Potter’s beefy tenor is in full form for Springs on the smoky “Solitude” as well on the dreamy and flowing “Gentle Rain”.
Springs’ piano goes into a romantic sonata form with a quote from Beethoven before joined in by saxist David Sanborn for a dramatic and harrowing “I Put A Spell On You” with a misty haze provided by flutist Elena Pinderhughes melding with her keyboards on a soulful “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. Without any cameo appearances, Ms. Springs and her mates are deeply intimate and vulnerable on “The Nearness Of You” and expressively vulnerable on “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life,” setting us all up for her solo rendition of “Strange Fruit” where she just accompanies herself on keyboards and casts a long dark shadow in the moonlight. You’ll want to listen to this one quite a few times. Missed last time she was in LA; I’ll make sure I’m in town next go-around.