CD Review

Regina Spektor is truly living the modern version of the ‘American Dream.’ Born in Russia she immigrated to the United States at age nine with her family. Having to leave their piano behind and her family unable to afford a new one, Spektor honed her skills on an out of tune one in the basement of their local synagogue. Fast forward several years, Spektor who was playing small clubs in downtown New York, found herself being hand picked out of virtual anonymity by The Stroke’s Julian Casablancas to open for his band on their 2003 North American tour. She even collaborated with them on the B-Side Modern Girls &Old Fashion Men - all this before even being signed to a label.

After all that the doe-eyed Spektor now releases her major label debut Soviet Kitsch. Blending classical piano with indie-folk songwriting, her arrangements are sparse as her voice drives the songs while the piano is more of an accompaniment helping to set her words to music. You can hear strains of Fiona Apple, Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell throughout the disc, but Spektor is unique in her own right. Her talent is evident as she’s able to switch from classical to Jewish folk ("Flowers") to rock and even punk ("Your Honor"). Her songs convey a feeling of innocence and melancholy, yet show off someone that is wise beyond their years by tackling topics like living with cancer on "Chemo Limo" and suicide with "Carbon Monoxide."

I doubt Spektor, who is at the heart of the current anti-folk movement along with the likes of Joanna Newsome, Devendra Banhart and Kimya Dawson, could have ever imagined that all this would happen to her as a kid in Moscow