Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0093624411222
Label: Sire
Manufacturer: Sire
MPN: 44112
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Sire
Release Date: 2006-06-13
Studio: Sire

Regina Spektor’s last album, 2004’s Soviet Kitsch, garnered praise from Time, Rolling Stone, Spin, Vanity Fair, The New York Times and many others. But this Russian-born, Bronx-bred singer-songwriter-pianist, who emerged from the NYC café circuit, continues to expand her vision. On Begin To Hope, produced by David Kahne (The Strokes, Sublime, Sugar Ray), she broadens here palette with electric guitar, drum machines and seductive electronic loops, finding new canvases for her provocative vocal style. Hope for pop has arrived with Regina Spektor.
The style known as "anti-folk," as realized by practitioners like Ani DiFranco and Billy 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 traditional coffeehouse vibe, it's less interested in rebellion and more concerned with the joy of eccentricity, melody and surprise. Begin To Hope is full of surprises, and like her promising major label debut Soviet Kitsch, it displays an easy facility with song structure that enables her to go in different--sometimes wildly off-the-wall--directions without sounding scattered. Classically trained on the piano, she's been compared to Tori Amos, but her music isn't as delicate or precious. Fiona Apple comes up as well, but just because neither fits in the usual female singer/songwriter cookie cutter mold doesn't mean they sound the same. Her voice is actually the primary attraction, cracking and loopy on would-be lullabies like "On The Radio" and "Field Below," then punchy and cute on "Hotel Room." But the music, if understated in the mix next to her vocals, makes an impression as well, breaking in with twisty piano arpeggios ("20 Years of Snow") and occasional touches of electronica. It's a consistently intelligent and daring record, yet remains enormously listenable--a neat trick for anti-folk, or any other genre of music for that matter. –Matthew Cooke

Customer Rating:
Summary: Singer and songs lots of fun
Comment:
Regina Spektor sounds like she is having a great time!
Her perspective on life has great humor and I found myself
driving down the road with a big grin on my face.
Now I am deciding which Spektor cd to get next.
Her piano playing and addictive voice do not disappoint.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Eclectic Sound
Comment: Regina Specktor is perhaps one of today's most talented singer/songwriters. Unlike other skilled pianist who sing peppy songs that are played all to frequently on the radio (aka Sara Bareilles' Love Song) Regina's sound is altogether set apart from the "pop pianists". Though it may take the average listener a few play throughs for her eclectic style of music to grow on them, grow on them it will until they become, like myself, slightly obssessed and play it none stop on their commute to school. She is a raw talent and her songs are haunting. Her odd vocal technique, which ranges from beat boxing to soft sttaccato, graces each song in just the right moment that makes the listener smile and listen intently for the next oddities they want to pick out. I have enjoyed both this cd and her original which is just as good. For those who enjoy Fiona Apple or Tori Amos, Regina Spektor' Begin to Hope is the next cd for you.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite albums
Comment: Begin to Hope has quickly become one of my favorite albums. I love Regina's quirky vocal styles and her lyrics that add depth and poetry. The album starts on a high note of "Fidelity" and continues in smooth transitions and whimsical fashion. Of course, I'm sure the whimsy is more calculated than it comes off as, but Regina is very talented and talent always makes it seem easy. The ever-expanding beats of "On the Radio" make it my favorite on this album.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Unique !!!!
Comment: There are so many singer-songwriters on the scene today; unfortunately,too often they sound the same. What is beautiful about Regina Spektor is that she is not afraid to create her very own brand of music or I should say brands of music, as each track adds another creative feature to her style. Adventurous and a risk taker I put her in the class of my other favorites-stand outs like Ani Di franco, Fiona Apple and a new singer-songwriter Arrica Rose in her latest album La La Lost -a little more stripped down but up there with the best of them.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Love this!
Comment: This is a great CD. I love Regina's voice and the creative ways in which she uses it. The songs show she listens to all sorts of music. some songs are very jazzy and maybe even a touch of electronica on songs such as "Edit."

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