Regina Spektor follows in a long line of kooky female singer songwriters - Kate Bush, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos to name but a few - and in my opinion when it comes to singer songwriters, the wackier the better. Begin to Hope is her third studio album and second major label release and should have been the album that catapulted her to worldwide fame. Although I'd be pushed to say it quite achieved that (after all, how many of you are reading this thinking "oh yes, Regina Spektor, I know her well") it did give her a more widespread following, with airplay on Radio Two and even a slot on Jonathan Ross's chatshow.
Regina Spektor was born in Moscow but grew up in New York, and this cultural mix is reflected clearly in the eclectic mix of styles she employs. She has a strong background in classical piano which is a massive strength in her compositional arsenal but on this album we have the addition of an orchestra, indicating that Warner clearly gave her more of a budget this time around. However, along with the budget seems to have come a more commercial sound - the songs, while still engaging and beautiful,
are more instantly accessible and, to put it frankly, less weird than on her previous album, Soviet Kitsch. That's not to say it's a mainstream sound - all of the quirks that make her sound so unique are still there, from the weird beatboxing vocals and yelps that punctuate the album, to the variety of instrumentation used, it still maintains a distinctly wacky feel somehow tamed and held together some beautiful and, in many ways very traditional, songwriting.
The album's opener, "Fidelity", is driven by pounding piano and has a funky, fun feel - clearly Regina has spent some considerable amount of time in London judging by her tongue in cheek cockney accent with an accented glottelstop used for comic effect. It's still the little quirks that make Regina stand out.
She shows off her rockier side with tracks like "Better" and "That Time" which reduces the backing to a simple clacking bass to accompany her rather raspy vocals and allows her to really let loose with the silly lyrics - "Remember that time when I only ate boxes of tangerines - so sweet and jui-oo-cy!"
One of the album's highlights is "Samson", a reworking of the Samson and Delilah story which is beautiful and a real work of art. Regina's vocals are soft and touching and the piano accompaniment is probably one the prettiest and well crafted I've heard. She has a real ear for melody and this is a real earworm and one of my favourite Regina songs.
"Field Below" has a fantastic jazz feel and really builds to create a very intense feel. "Apres Moi" has a distinctly Russian feel to it, opening with a virtuosic piano solo which brings to mind Tchaikovsky and builds to an aggressive Russian language chorus, punctuated with beat-box style grunts. Both "Apres Moi" and "Summer in the City" have more a of dark edge to their warm piano based melody, and "On the Radio" is the perfect single - the funky bass driven piano is catchy and Regina's quirkiness on the vocals again sits just the right side of the dividing line between kooky and inaccessible. "Edit" has a more percussive feel, using the piano to build up a funky beat over which Regina quasi-raps over the top of.
The album is littered with historic, religious and pop culture references - a throwaway nod to The Beatles' "Dr. Robert" sits alongside the Old Testament's Samson, Louis XV's most famous quote "Apres Moi le deluge" (after me comes the flood) and (this may be a complete misinterpretation - it seems far too English) Only Fools and Horses Uncle Albert!
Regina's vocals throughout are superb. She has a strange voice, soft and warm at times, vulnerable and full of emotion, but capable of producing a raspy, aggressive quality that can really make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. She is unafraid to sacrifice vocal beauty for expression and experimentation, her vocal ranges from soft whispering, to punk like shrieking, to beatbox like sounds, and playing around with various accents.
Overall this album is a huge success, each track has bucketloads of personality and infectious charm and is beautifully crafted with engaging and heartfelt melodies. Taking you from joyful abandon one minute to heartbreaking sadness the next, this is a truly wonderful album that grows on you with every listen. Although undoubtedly the album is better produced than her previous offerings, with fewer rough edges and is certainly less strange, it doesn't sacrifice the quirky humour that made Regina unique in the first place. In this way it is the perfect introduction to Regina Spektor and if you like this, be sure to check out Soviet Kitsch. Right now I am eagerly awaiting her new album, Far, released today and her gig in Hyde Park!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
The style known as "anti-folk," as realized by practitioners like Ani DiFranco and Billy ... more
Bragg, is derived from a punk aesthetic, and thus tends to be spare and confrontational. But while Regina Spektor's music is anti-folk in the way it subverts the t...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The style known as "anti-folk," as realized by practitioners like Ani DiFranco and Billy ... more
Bragg, is derived from a punk aesthetic, and thus tends to be spare and confrontational. But while Regina Spektor's music is anti-folk in the way it subverts the t...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 7 to 13 days...
The style known as "anti-folk," as realized by practitioners like Ani DiFranco and Billy ... more
Bragg, is derived from a punk aesthetic, and thus tends to be spare and confrontational. But while Regina Spektor's music is anti-folk in the way it subverts the t...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The style known as "anti-folk," as realized by practitioners like Ani DiFranco and Billy ... more
Bragg, is derived from a punk aesthetic, and thus tends to be spare and confrontational. But while Regina Spektor's music is anti-folk in the way it subverts the t...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: Wonderfuly expressive, offbeat, unique, exciting and enjoyable Disadvantages: The more conventional songs don't hold up as well as the others
Advantages: A wonderful collection of songs and sounds that are so individual and so beautiful. Disadvantages: None that I can think of - only that I didn't know about her sooner!
Advantages: Each song on the C.D is different with thought-provoking lyrics and memorable songs. Disadvantages: One song repetitive and boring - "that time"
Advantages: A wonderful collection of songs and sounds that are so individual and so beautiful. Disadvantages: None that I can think of - only that I didn't know about her sooner!
Advantages: Wonderfuly expressive, offbeat, unique, exciting and enjoyable Disadvantages: The more conventional songs don't hold up as well as the others
exceptional by (3%):
very helpful by (97%):
![River Is Wide, The [Remastered] - Forum (The)](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/251/prod_small-6006251.jpg)
![I'm Not Dead [PA] - Pink](http://imagesa.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/580/prod_small-6397580.jpg)
