Singer and pianist Kandace Springs has released her remarkable second album Indigo via Blue Note. The 13-track LP consists of originals and choice covers that showcases the full breadth of Kandace’s artistry from smoldering R&B (“People Make the World Go ‘Round” “6 8”) to gorgeous jazz ballads (“Unsophisticated” featuring Roy Hargrove) to the pop songcraft of “Breakdown” and “Don’t Need The Real Thing.” All but two tracks are produced by drummer/producer Karriem Riggins (Common, Erykah Badu) with additional production by Jamie Hartman (Rag’n’Bone Man), Jimmy Hogarth (Amy Winehouse, Corinne Bailey Rae), Jimmy Harry (Madonna, P!nk), and Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken (Rihanna). Indigo is available on vinyl, CD, download, and streaming services.
For Kandace it boils down to a question that connects past to present: “What would Nina Simone do if she had the technology of today? You could never put Nina in a box—she would do a blues followed a classical piece, a jazz standard and then a Beatles cover. This LP took a lot of inspiration from that—it’s a mix of everything that I am.” Indigo offers a fairly plausible answer to that impossible query: songs that swirl classical composition with quiet-storm cool, jazz poise with hip-hop swing, tropical warmth with soulful depth, and earthen groove with airy psych.
Given that diverse palette, Karriem was exactly the right person to work with Kandace to catalyze the best parts of various interests into something new. “I love crossing genres and the direction on Indigo was to marry all the different things to tell her story,” says Karriem, who tracked his drums at various studios while on the road with Diana Krall, and chopped and reassembled his and Kandace’s recordings into what you hear. “It sounds organic because everything was built around the songwriting. She says so much on the piano, and her voice is amazing—it’s the focal point of the whole sound.”
Kandace will also embark on a U.S. headline tour beginning September 28 that includes album release shows in Los Angeles (Troubadour, October 1), New York (Sony Hall, October 28), and a hometown Nashville show (City Winery, November 4), followed by performances in Europe and Asia. See below for a full list of tour dates and visit kandacesprings.com for ticket info.
Kandace Springs – Tour Dates:
September 28 – Musical Instrument Museum – Phoenix, AZ
September 29 – Voodoo Room @ House of Blues – San Diego, CA
September 30 – The Parish @ House of Blues – Anaheim, CA
October 1 – The Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA
October 2 – Swedish American Hall – San Francisco, CA
October 4 – The Jack London Revue – Portland, OR
October 5 – Benaroya Hall – Seattle, WA
October 7 – Vancouver International Jazz Festival – Vancouver, BC
October 24 – City Winery – Boston, MA
October 25 – Daryl’s House Club – Pawling, NY
October 27 – Iron Horse Music Hall – Northampton, MA
October 28 – Sony Hall – New York, NY
October 29 – World Café Live – Philadelphia, PA
October 30 – The Hamilton – Washington, DC
November 2 – Stage Door Theater – Charlotte, NC
November 3 – City Winery – Atlanta, GA
November 4 – City Winery – Nashville, TN
November 13 – Forum Leverkusen – Leverkusen, Germany **with WDR Big Band**
November 16 – New Morning – Paris, France
November 17 – Queen Elizabeth Hall – London, England
November 19 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 20 – Quasimodo – Berlin, Germany
November 27 – Tokyo International Forum – Tokyo, Japan
November 28 – Sankei Hall Breeze – Osaka, Japan
December 1 – Blue Note Beijing – Beijing, China
December 2 – Blue Note Beijing – Beijing, China