Instead Springs allows her comely alto to become a conduit that touches upon soul, jazz and pop while transforming those aforementioned influences into a personalized sound that reveals itself effortlessly. “The artists who have inspired me the most all sang so naturally,” Springs says. “That helped me find my own sound.”
Springs’ journey to discovering her uniqueness didn’t happen overnight. In fact, her 2014 self-titled debut EP had a decidedly contemporary R&B/hip-hop bent with production by Pop & Oak (Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Miguel). The EP was incredibly well-received and led to TV performances on Late Show With David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, as well as appearances at the Afropunk and Bonnaroo festivals.
As amazing an experience as that was, as Springs got ready to record her album she couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t yet singing her true self. Conversations with her longtime producers Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers led to soul searching and rethinking her musical direction. Eventually Springs returned to a more spacious, organic sound that channels her earlier jazz influences as well as her Nashville upbringing.
Also during this period, Springs attracted the attention of Prince, who heard her makeover of Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” on the website Okayplayer. The music icon invited her to perform with him at Paisley Park for the 30th anniversary of Purple Rain. “He encouraged me a lot before I recorded this new record, especially during the time in which I was trying to figure out my sound,” Springs says. “He told me that I needed to do what comes naturally to me. He was absolutely right.”
For Soul Eyes, Springs continued working closely with Rogers and Sturken, but they also recruited Grammy-winning producer Larry Klein (Lizz Wright, Melody Gardot, Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock) to help the singer bring out her distinctive artistic traits. “Larry wanted me to be free in the studio,” Springs recalls. “I’ve been through a lot of other sessions in which the producer tries to take control of your sound. Larry was just like, ‘Go in and play what you feel.’ That ultimately led to the best outcome; he captured this record perfectly.”
Klein praises Springs as a “natural.” “In this era, in which flash and hunger for fame is often equated with talent, she’s that rare person who sings and plays because that is what she needs to do in life,” he says. “When I first heard Kandace, I was sold after hearing one song. Her smoky voice coupled with a sense of phrasing way beyond her years, and her angular way of accompanying herself on piano grabbed me right away.”
The eleven songs contained on Soul Eyes all feature Springs playing piano alongside an illustrious cast of musicians that includes trumpeter Terence Blanchard, guitarists Dean Parks and Jesse Harris, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, organist Pete Kuzma, bassist Dan Lutz, percussionist Pete Korpela.
Through much of Soul Eyes, Springs sings about romantic affairs of the heart, starting off with the effervescent, country-laden “Talk to Me,” penned by Harris, who also wrote the gentle, life-affirming “Neither Old Nor Young.” The ruminative “Place to Hide” is a song by Judie Tzuke that Rogers has kept in the back of his mind for some time just waiting for the perfect singer to deliver it. “Every time I play that song, the room goes silent,” Springs says.
It was Sturken who introduced Springs to Mal Waldron’s signature jazz classic, “Soul Eyes.” “When I first heard it, it blew my mind,” she enthuses. “That song means so much to me.” Klein suggested the mesmerizing makeovers of two Shelby Lynne songs (“Thought It Would Be Easier” and “Leavin’”) as well as War’s haunting funk classic, “The World Is a Ghetto.”
Springs co-wrote the melancholy ballad, “Fall Guy” with Rogers and Sturken, as well as the searching, observational mid-tempo gem “Novocaine Heart.” She co-wrote the smoldering, cinematic slow-burner “Too Good To Last”—which features a soaring trumpet solo by Blanchard—with celebrated songwriters Greg Wells and Lindy Robbins. Springs composed the gorgeous solo album closer “Rain Falling” by herself. Featuring just voice and piano, the song dates back more than a decade ago to Springs’ late-teens.
“This new record is just right where it should be,” attests Springs, who draws much of her inspiration from her father, Scat Springs, a respected session singer in Nashville. It was due to him that Springs grew up surrounded by music, and he encouraged her to take piano lessons after he watched her peck out melodies on the instrument when she was 10. Yet as a girl, she was equally interested in other creative outlets, especially visual art and, more unexpectedly, automobiles. “My dad gave me a Matchbox car, a Thunderbird or something like that, and my mom gave me a Barbie,” she says. “I drew a mustache on the Barbie and never played with it again, and I still have the Matchbox car.” (Her obsession with cars, which she collects, rebuilds, and resells, continues to this day.)
It wasn’t until later that a friend of her father’s sparked something deeper in the young musician by giving her Norah Jones’ 2002 Blue Note debut, Come Away With Me. “The last song on the record is ‘The Nearness of You’ and that song really inspired me to learn to play piano and sing. It was just so soulful, simple and stripped down. That really moved me and touched me. It’s when I realized, ‘This is what I wanna do.’”
Springs did her own arrangement of “The Nearness of You” and performed it at a music camp in Nashville, which led to her gaining more professional gig experience in the city. An early demo Springs recorded caught the ears of Rogers and Sturken, who have written hits for the likes of Shakira, Christina Aguilera, and Kelly Clarkson, and are best known for discovering and signing Rihanna as a teenager. Rogers flew down to Nashville with an offer to sign Springs to their production company SRP. Still only 17 years old at the time, she and her family decided that it wasn’t the right time to pursue a recording career, instead taking a job at a downtown Nashville hotel where she valet parked cars by day and sang and played piano in the lounge at night.
A few years later, Springs was talking about going to automotive design school, but her mother suggested that she get back in touch with Rogers and Sturken. She instead moved to New York and started working seriously on new songs and demo recordings. She eventually landed an audition with Blue Note President Don Was at the Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles, winning him over with a stunning performance of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (the original of which he had coincidentally produced). “That song is so soulful. When I first heard that song, it almost moved me to tears,” Springs says. “I wrote my own arrangement for it a few years before I played it for him.”
Now as Springs continues to develop as singer and songwriter in her own right, she’ll surely win over many other hearts. “I would like to be known as one of the younger people that are keeping jazz and soul alive and vibrant, “she says. “I love the realness of jazz and soul.”
NOVOCAINE HEART
Kandace Springs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a sea of faces
Just trying to find out
Where my place is
I swear I just don't know
Which way that I should go
That I just can't stand it
Feels like a dropped in
From another planet
This world has so much madness
Disguised in eyes of sadness
Truth is lost upon the masses
People wear sunglasses
In the dark
Ice is running through their veins
But I ain't taking Novocaine
For my heart
Why it gotta be like that?
Why it gotta be?
Why it gotta be like that?
I just can't help but question why
Somebody tell me...
Why it gotta be like that?
Why it gotta be?
Why it gotta be like that?
Some dreams will live and some will die
So many life in mental poverty
While they watch a bad reality
Their spirits going blind
A vacant state of mind
It's time the people opened up their eyes
This revolution will be televised
I've got to find a way
I'm praying every day
Truth is lost upon the masses
People wear sunglasses
In the dark
Ice is running through their veins
But I ain't taking Novocaine
For my heart
Why it gotta be like that?
Why it gotta be?
Why it gotta be like that?
I just can't help but question why
Somebody tell me...
Why it gotta be like that?
Why it gotta be?
Why it gotta be like that?
Some dreams will live and some will die
Truth is lost upon the masses
People wear sunglasses
In the dark
Ice is running through their veins
But I ain't taking Novocaine
For my heart
Why it gotta be like that?
Why it gotta be?
Why it gotta be like that?
I just can't help but question why
Somebody tell me...
Why it gotta be like that?
Why it gotta be?
Why it gotta be like that?
Some dreams will live and some will die.
Kandace Springs's Novocaine Heart addresses the issue of feeling lost and disconnected in a society where madness and falsehood prevail. The singer is searching for her place in the world while questioning why things have to be the way they are. The sea of faces she sees represents how easy it is for people to fall into conformity and lose their individuality, as if living on autopilot. She feels like an outsider and wonders if she dropped in from another planet, indicating her sense of alienation.
The song's title, Novocaine Heart, represents the temptation to numb oneself from the harsh reality around us. Rather than taking this route, the singer refuses to take Novocaine for her heart, indicating her strength and determination to feel and confront the world's pain rather than numbing herself to it. The line "Ice is running through their veins" could be interpreted as the general population's apathy and indifference, but the singer is different in that she refuses to give in to this coldness.
The song's message is one of hope and a call to action, encouraging people to open their eyes to the truth and to stand up to the madness around them. The revolution mentioned in the lyrics could refer to a societal shift towards greater empathy and understanding. The song's final lines, "Some dreams will live and some will die," show that while there may be setbacks and failures, it is still possible to hold on to hope and make a difference.
Line by Line Meaning
Walking down the street
Strolling absent-mindedly in a place where anyone and everyone exist
In a sea of faces
Feeling lost amidst an overwhelming number of people
Just trying to find out
Attempting to identify
Where my place is
Where I belong in this world
I swear I just don't know
Honestly, I have no clue
Which way that I should go
The path I should take is quite uncertain
Sometimes I think
At times, it comes to my mind
That I just can't stand it
I'm not able to tolerate it anymore
Feels like a dropped in
As if I was thrown into
From another planet
A world different from mine
This world has so much madness
The world is full of craziness
Disguised in eyes of sadness
Masked behind expressions of sorrow
Truth is lost upon the masses
The truth is concealed from the majority
People wear sunglasses
People hide from reality
In the dark
In ignorance
Ice is running through their veins
They are emotionally cold
But I ain't taking Novocaine
I refuse to be numb to the world
For my heart
I won't let the world's madness affect my emotions
Why it gotta be like that?
Why does it have to be this way?
Why it gotta be?
Why?
I just can't help but question why
I can't avoid wondering
Somebody tell me...
Someone explain...
Some dreams will live and some will die
Some aspirations will be fulfilled while others will not
So many life in mental poverty
Numerous people live mentally impoverished lives
While they watch a bad reality
As they observe the unpleasant truths of life
Their spirits going blind
Their emotional well-being is deteriorating
A vacant state of mind
An empty or dull state of mind
It's time the people opened up their eyes
It's time for society to become aware and see things as they are
This revolution will be televised
This transformation will be recorded and broadcasted
I've got to find a way
I need to discover a solution
I'm praying every day
I'm optimistic and hoping for better days
Why it gotta be like that?
Why does it have to be this way?
Some dreams will live and some will die
Some aspirations will be fulfilled while others will not
Contributed by Blake N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Steve Martin
First heard this as background music at a little Italian restaurant in the mountains west of Tokyo. Could not for the life of me identify the singer, so I asked the waitress, and she showed me the CD 'Soul Eyes', turning me on to this fresh, new voice.
Returning to Tokyo, got the Japanese package of the CD because though it is more expensive, it contains bonus tracks. It is GOOD, and getting better with each listen ... sometimes sounding a bit like Sade, sometimes Norah Jones, and sometimes more like Tina Turner. First heard the whole CD a few weeks later in my van, taking the Chuo Expressway to return to those mountains on a late, rainy Friday evening, I was lulled by her soulful, sultry style ... until I heard this track. Something popped in me.
I found my foot putting the pedal to the metal with that rhythm and catchy hook. Hit the repeat button and started getting into the lyrics. Damn, this earworm jumped into my head and I can't get it out. Don't want to. It is now my go-to track for driving in the summer of 2017. As Royal George pointed out in sub-comments below, this song in particular was Prince's favorite ... verified here ... http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7416564/kandace-springs-forward-with-soul-eyes-album-debut-blue-note
I also found a version on Spotify, the Paul O'Duffy remix ... and thought it was waaay overproduced. I agree with Prince ... keep it simple and keep Kandace up in front of the mix.
I'm not sure if it's the bass line or the rhythm, but I am reminded of Joe Jackson's 'Steppin Out' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kx8UgxFBI.
But Kandace is cooler still. The sparse arrangement (unlike the O'Duffy remix), her first vocal chorus jumping in just a tad sooner than expected, and those subtle, chugging jabs on the Fender Rhodes add just the right amount of funk to run this smooth-churning motor. Now figuring out how to apply those chords to my modest nylon string guitar chops — may have to either drop down a key or go falsetto with the vocals, but hey, it's just personal therapy. I think this is something that would perfectly fit Jake Reichbart's chord-melody style and spot-on, back-beat rhythm http://www.jakereichbart.com/.
The Discogs review compared it to 80's crossover and mentioned Judy Roberts as having a similar sound. Yeah, I can go with that.
In the Japanese liner notes, Grammy winning producer Larry Klein wrote a bit about how Prince 'discovered' her, but I was blown away to find Larry explaining that Prince's favorite musician was Joni Mitchell. Verified it here ... http://ew.com/article/2015/09/15/prince-10-favorite-artists/.
And like Joni Mitchell, and more than a few other musicians, Kandace has always been drawn tightly to the visual arts as well. Maybe there's something about right-brain dominance at work here.
Yup. Creative genius transcends genre and domain.
Update ... Used this song for 'pronunciation practice - warm ups' in some college English classes a few months. Most of the students were Japanese, but a few Chinese in the mix ... and most of the kids really got into the rhythm, especially the Chinese girls.
Steve Martin
First heard this as background music at a little Italian restaurant in the mountains west of Tokyo. Could not for the life of me identify the singer, so I asked the waitress, and she showed me the CD 'Soul Eyes', turning me on to this fresh, new voice.
Returning to Tokyo, got the Japanese package of the CD because though it is more expensive, it contains bonus tracks. It is GOOD, and getting better with each listen ... sometimes sounding a bit like Sade, sometimes Norah Jones, and sometimes more like Tina Turner. First heard the whole CD a few weeks later in my van, taking the Chuo Expressway to return to those mountains on a late, rainy Friday evening, I was lulled by her soulful, sultry style ... until I heard this track. Something popped in me.
I found my foot putting the pedal to the metal with that rhythm and catchy hook. Hit the repeat button and started getting into the lyrics. Damn, this earworm jumped into my head and I can't get it out. Don't want to. It is now my go-to track for driving in the summer of 2017. As Royal George pointed out in sub-comments below, this song in particular was Prince's favorite ... verified here ... http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7416564/kandace-springs-forward-with-soul-eyes-album-debut-blue-note
I also found a version on Spotify, the Paul O'Duffy remix ... and thought it was waaay overproduced. I agree with Prince ... keep it simple and keep Kandace up in front of the mix.
I'm not sure if it's the bass line or the rhythm, but I am reminded of Joe Jackson's 'Steppin Out' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8kx8UgxFBI.
But Kandace is cooler still. The sparse arrangement (unlike the O'Duffy remix), her first vocal chorus jumping in just a tad sooner than expected, and those subtle, chugging jabs on the Fender Rhodes add just the right amount of funk to run this smooth-churning motor. Now figuring out how to apply those chords to my modest nylon string guitar chops — may have to either drop down a key or go falsetto with the vocals, but hey, it's just personal therapy. I think this is something that would perfectly fit Jake Reichbart's chord-melody style and spot-on, back-beat rhythm http://www.jakereichbart.com/.
The Discogs review compared it to 80's crossover and mentioned Judy Roberts as having a similar sound. Yeah, I can go with that.
In the Japanese liner notes, Grammy winning producer Larry Klein wrote a bit about how Prince 'discovered' her, but I was blown away to find Larry explaining that Prince's favorite musician was Joni Mitchell. Verified it here ... http://ew.com/article/2015/09/15/prince-10-favorite-artists/.
And like Joni Mitchell, and more than a few other musicians, Kandace has always been drawn tightly to the visual arts as well. Maybe there's something about right-brain dominance at work here.
Yup. Creative genius transcends genre and domain.
Update ... Used this song for 'pronunciation practice - warm ups' in some college English classes a few months. Most of the students were Japanese, but a few Chinese in the mix ... and most of the kids really got into the rhythm, especially the Chinese girls.
Pauly Hollywood
Steve Martin wow, so expressive, she's amazing I pray to GOD for her to pop!
Pauly Hollywood
Yeah, I love this song, and now her ❤
LYSERGIC FUNK
Thanks @Steve martin for your amazing comment...In Kandace We Trust!
parris baker
Steve Martin it’s definitely the bass line...but her interpretation and feel of that bass line is “baad!”
Steve Martin
@LYSERGIC FUNK Hi Lysergic! Just now saw this comment. Thinking about the lyrics of the song, it REALLY applies to what is happening now with this pandemic and responses. Followed and notifications turned on. Cheers from Japan ... and yeah! In Kandace We Trust.
Bob Castro
I just love Kandace springs. her music sounds so retro, even though it isn't. love her music style. you just don't hear music like that from anyone else anymore.
こっとくん
My first meet to this song was an English class in junior high school.
My English teacher use this song in class and give us Japanese translate lyrics.
After the class, I become to like this song and listen so many time.
I love this song and Kandace Springs.
I will not forget this song.
kabo ji
I love Kandace Springs!
Ge Lashea
Kandace Springs is Awesome!! I just set her to my playlist and just let the lovely beautiful music flow! This is one of my many favorites of hers!