Soul Eyes
was a poised, no-frills introduction to an artist with obvious potential for merging soul and jazz conventions with modern style.
Kandace Springs
' second album is a measured advancement from that 2016 release. Produced almost exclusively by
Karriem Riggins
, who for 25 years has illuminated recordings that land everywhere on the traditional-to-progressive spectrum,
Indigo
evinces
Springs
' versatility with a little more color. As with
, the material blends interpretations and originals. Here,
is more directly involved, co-writing all but one of the new songs, including a touching finale with father
Scat Springs
and a handful with executive producers and earliest non-familial advocates
Evan Rogers
and
Carl Sturken
. The best of the four
Rogers
-
Sturken
collaborations is a tie between the two in which
sings of being killed slowly by a lover (a heartstruck sentiment felt elsewhere): "Piece of Me," liable to be confused for a dead-on
Everything But the Girl
or
Sade
cover, and "Fix Me," a graceful swoon with an embedded
Prince
reference. When admirer
hosted
at Paisley Park for the 30th anniversary of
Purple Rain
, he requested that she play "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," the
Ewan MacColl
ballad
Roberta Flack
took to another level. It's the earliest composition here, freshened with
' smoldering voice effectively cloaking the instrumentation instead of shooting through it. Another classic,
Thom Bell
Linda Creed
's "People Make the World Go 'Round," is freshened by
with help from
Nicholas Payton
on bass, electric piano, and slinky-subtle chord reharmonization.
still thrives with stark backdrops, most evident on covers of the contemporary "6 8" (
Gabriel Garzon-Montano
) and "Black Orchid" (
Jesse Harris
), both master classes in restraint.
doesn't have a proper title track, but a pair of title interludes tantalize over a combined duration of one minute. Among the album's simplest and most fascinating moments, these segments of hip-hop noir -- with
accompanying herself on piano and
Riggins
the lone aid on drums and bass -- provide ample proof that the duo should continue to work together. ~ Andy Kellman