Seeing Kandace Springs perform at a lunchtime showcase at Pizza Express Jazz Club back in April, what particularly impressed was the ineffable sense of connection between her smoky vocals and her engaging piano playing, expressed almost as one musical thought. On this, her distinguished Blue Note debut, it comes across most forcibly on both the title track, a captivating version of Mal Waldron's ‘Soul Eyes’ (penned with Coltrane in mind) which Springs phrases like an instrumentalist, and the Springs-penned album closer, ‘Rain Falling’, a song dating back to her late teens whose subtle conversational flow hints at a quite distinctive compositional voice.

Of course, no other producer frames the voice in quite the same way as Larry Klein, who not only creates just the right amount of space to let the vocal breathe, but also delights the ears with the smallest musical details (the piano doubled by vibes and glockenspiel in the instrumental break of Jesse Harris's memorable lead-off song ‘Talk To Me’ being one of several examples). Kudos to Klein, too, for suggesting the reworking of two Shelby Lynne songs, ‘Thought It Would Be Easier’ and ‘Leavin’’, both of which serve as vehicles for some incredibly beautiful backing vocals from Springs.