Of the gifts I got for Christmas, one has captured my attention in a surprising way, coming out of the blue with a sound unique and haunting, a new CD from Regina Spektor, someone I'd never heard of before, her fourth collection called Begin to Hope. Previous releases include Soviet Kitsch (2004), Songs, and 11:11 (the first two were self-released). Born in the Soviet Union, Spektor is part of the New York "antifolk" movement, quirky and independent; she has a powerhouse voice like Norah Jones and the offbeat quality of The Ditty Bops.
Here's from a review by Jenny Eliscu of Begin to Hope: "Compare her to other eccentric, female, piano-playing crooners, but New York singer-songwriter Regina Spektor is an oddball unto herself. Less miserable than Fiona Apple, less wacky than Nellie McKay and less hippieish than Tori Amos, Spektor shows off her gorgeous, fluttery voice, her burgeoning writer chops and her God-given quirks on her second disc, Begin to Hope."
Check her out! Thanks for the Christmas present, daughter!
3 comments:
I just realized the play of words in the title. Very clever. :-)
The curious can preview her work through videos at Youtube.
I left another comment before the one up there, but I guess it didn't show up. I think I said something to the effect that I was really glad you liked the CD. It's fun when you can get someone something they didn't ask for and they enjoy it, and I'm glad you do!
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