Reviews
Regina Spektor
Begin to Hope
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Regina, Regina...what to say about her? A lot of things, actually. Sometime in late 2004, some dude at the indie record shop recommended to me an album entitled Soviet Kitsch by a girl I had never heard of, Regina Spektor. I can’t say that the whole thing looked very appealing, and I can’t say that I, at the time, had any kind of admiration for female singer/songwriters in general. And the cover art showing her drinking vodka was a total turn off -- and what the hell? A Russian girl?
It took a while for me to really figure out what was going on there, since this lady was sounding so different than other singers, although some people can easily set some comparisons to Tori Amos. Happily, I had the opportunity to download and take a listen to it when I came home, and this album was hell of a masterpiece. Every song was pure genius, and it made me want to hear more about her in the future, as she definitely had great talent. Her voice was so authentic and great that I would eat it if I had the chance. So gorgeous and beautiful! Juicy!
So let’s talk about her new album, Begin To Hope. Needless to say, expectations were high about this one. The album opens up with the very poppy and fantastic “Fidelity.” You can not do wrong opening with this kind of very friendly, radio-ish song. I can actually say that the first four songs are killer tracks that are going to be radio singles (“Fidelity,” “Better,” “Samson” and “On The Radio”). I can not say these tracks are disapointing at all; they do the job very effectively, but they aren’t as memorable as songs from Soviet Kitsch (like “Us,” for example).
One track may be the exception: “Samson.” This one isn’t revolutionizing anything musically as it’s a very simple piano ballad, but man, how amazing. Words are probably not enough to describe the emotions that this song can make me feel. Apparently it refers to the story of a certain Samson from the Bible, telling about a tender relationship that resulted in betrayal and sacrifice, but also forgiveness. It’s the kind of songs that make you embarrassed about the society we live in right now. You’ll need to hear this one at least once in your life or otherwise it’s going to be a big miss.
“Field Below,” “Summer In The City,” “Après Moi,” “20 Years Of Snow,” and “Lady” are five very cool lounge songs written and interpreted in a way only Regina can do. They also make the use of piano mainly, which is where Regina succeeds the best. “Hotel Song” could very well be some music written by Jim Tamborello if I didn’t know Regina did it. And “That Time” really reminds me of Soviet Kitsch’s “Your Honor,” with its loud drums and rough electric guitars. “Edit” is probably the only let-down of this album. In general, Regina is best experienced when she uses the piano. This instrument is definitely her weapon of choice.
Ms. Spektor has definitely made another worthwhile album in Begin To Hope. The radio-friendly tracks are good, but this not where Regina is at her best (even though I have a different opinion depending on the mood of the moment). A few weeks ago I would have been more negative about this album, but right now I’m listening to it and I’m really enjoying it. The album is diversified enough to keep the listener interested until the end ---- radio, radio, radio, radio, lounge, radio, lounge, lounge, rocking, lounge, lounge, lounge; it’s pretty much the same as Soviet Kitsch overall, except the fact that the previous didn’t have those radio-ready tracks. This album is certainly not as strong and charming as the last, but I don’t think anyone would have expected that. Regina can still be proud of the work she has put out here, and she can still be a diva of live shows.
Songs to hear: “Samson,” “Better,” “Hotel Song,” “Summer In The City”
Score: 8.1
- Alexandre Poulin