Taking on the work of the greats who came before you can be a very daunting task. For the forever Bounce-Worthy Kandace Springs, however, it's work that she's more than happy to undertake. Her upcoming effort The Women Who Raised Me finds Kandace taking on covers of songs made by the iconic female musicians who inspired her to make music in the first place. She's compiled a stunning array of songs for the set and we're getting our first taste with her cover of Sade's heartbreaking song "Pearls."
"Pearls," which is originally found on Sade's 1992 masterpiece Love Deluxe, is an achingly beautiful portrait of an impoverished Somali woman doing her best to provide for her daughter. Kandace keeps the quiet, stirring feel of the original for her take, though she adds more instrumentation than the simple strings that were featured on the original. The inclusion of bass, drums, keys and muted trumpet warm up the song a bit, but the slow pace keeps the song's subject front and center. Kandace's voice, meanwhile, lingers over the lyrics as she tells the story of a woman doing her best with the cards she's been dealt. And the song's most memorable line ("...and it hurts like brand new shoes") aches just like it did nearly three decades ago.
In the song's accompanying video, Kandace also takes a straightforward approach. We see her and her all-woman trio performing the song in beautiful black and white, the emotion they're putting into the track showing on their faces. We're also shown Kandace as she makes her way through the lonely streets of New York, the mood of the song acting as her soundtrack.
In addition to Sade, The Women Who Raised Me will also feature songs made popular by the likes of Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Bonnie Raitt, Ella Fitzgerald and a duet with Kandace's idol Norah Jones. Listen to "Pearls" and watch the song's video below. Afterward, stick around to get a peek at the album's tracklist and make sure to pre-order it before it arrives in stores on March 27th.
Kandace Springs The Women Who Raised Me tracklist:
- Advertisement -1. Devil May Care
2. Angel Eyes
3. I Put A Spell On You
4. Pearls
5. Ex Factor
6. I Can’t Make You Love Me
7. Gentle Rain
8. Solitude
9. The Nearness Of You
10. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life
11. Killing Me Softly
12. Strange Fruit
