By now, the story of a singer covering a song and gaining national (and sometimes international) attention is pretty much old hat. But how many of those singers can say they were handpicked by Prince himself to perform at Paisley Park for the 30th anniversary celebration of Purple Rain? Kandace Springs can. And the Purple One is not alone in recognizing Kandace's talent. The Nashville native, who now calls New York City home, has been wowing industry insiders with her talent for quite some time, eventually earning herself a spot on the Blue Note Records roster.
Take one listen to her latest release, "Meet Me in the Sky," and you can see why she's garnering attention. The jazzy, dreamy slice of R&B, with its laid-back horn arrangement, floating keys and bass groove reminiscent of bossa nova, lull the listener in quite easily. And while the music is definitely what will get you, it's Kandace's vocal that will make you stay. Her tone is warm, sensuous and inviting on the song, with hints of jazz sprinkled in with its soulfulness.
In contrast to the soft and sweet of "Meet Me in the Sky," her song "Love Got in the Way" is brash, funky and bold. Still singing about love, Kandace asserts herself here, not letting the hard-hitting drums and rhythm guitar edge her out. Handling herself so well over funk like this is perhaps why she was chosen to rock the stage during this year's annual Afropunk festival.