Regina Spektor
Begin To Hope
(Sire)
By Al Kaufman

With her stream of consciousness lyrics that sometimes border on the nonsensical, and a voice that sounds like a helium-induced hiccup, Regina Spektor is certainly an acquired taste. Yet for her first major label release (2004’s Soviet Kitsch was her third independent release and was picked-up by Sire) Spektor has managed to do the impossible. She has kept true to herself while simultaneously creating some beautiful songs that stand up anything on radio today. For the unintiated, Regina Spektor can best be described as Tori Amos, if Tori were a Russian Jew who did not take herself so damn seriously. Her piano playing (she is classically trained) is gorgeous and inspired, and she does her best to undermine that by using woodblocks or her voice as percussive instruments. Her lyrics paint surreal scenes (such as feeding Wonder Bread to Samson after cutting his hair one night), but can also get straight to the point (“Summer in the city means cleavage, cleavage, cleavage.”) She is fun, playful, thought-provoking, and manages to remain just this side of cloying. “Better,” “On the Radio,” and “Hotel Song,” which benefit from the backing of a full band, are as contagious as a winter cold. The only problem would be if the listener then went out and tries to duplicate Spektor’s falsetto in public. That task is best left to the singer herself.

Regina Spektor plays the Roxy Theatre Friday, November 17, 8 pm.

www.reginaspektor.com