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Begin to Hope
Regina Spektor
Retail Price (not our price): $15.98
Release Date: 2006-06-13
Manufacturer: Sire
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1

Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...

Disc 1

Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Amazon.com
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

2) Album Description
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.

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

1) Pleasantly Surprised   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This is how it works . . .If you are expecting an artist like Sarah McLachlan or Vanessa Carlton, this is not the CD for you. If you like artists with a bit more spunk and quirk, like Tori Amos, Bjork, or Fiona Apple, then listening to this album will be like enjoying a new favorite flavor of your favorite drink--new, refreshing, and enjoyable; it isn't going to replace the classic favorites you already love, but rather, it will add to them.I first heard Regina Spektor on VH1 with "Fidelity" and though I liked the song, and it would get stuck in my head pretty easily, I was hesitant in buying the album because I thought she might be too what we call in Phoenix, "KEZ", or light music, the kind of safe light-hearted fare heard playing faintly in a department store. But I was thankfully very wrong.My friend bought me the CD for Christmas and when I listened to it, and listened to it twice (no dj was asleep, I just wanted to), I discovered that each song is unique on this album, has its own style, its own personality. Spektor's voice is beautiful in each song but also displays her range and variety in vocal styles. This is one of the most fresh albums to come out in a long while. It has more to offer than the typical run-of-the-mill pop. Interesting vocals, lyrics that tell stories and also lead to singing along, artistry, creativity, piano, rock, soul--this album has it all. It's full of character and is guaranteed to be on repeat in your iPod if you get it. Some favorites of mine: "Better", "Apres Moi", "Edit", "That Time".

2) Love Regina!   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Good driving to the beach music. Or walking through the rain in the city music.Just good music.

3) Spektored : A Worthy Successor to Fiona Apple   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
I knew Regina from her album "Soviet Kitsch", so I wasn't expecting anything revolutionary from this CD. My primary concern was with her voice - on that earlier album, it was more tinny and reed-like, and its obvious that she has worked very hard to get to where she is right now.Regina Spektor, for the uninitiated, is very much in the Fiona Apple/Tori Amos mold. She isn't quite as lyrically gifted (or weird) as Amos is, but she is in every way comparable to Fiona Apple. In fact, listening to Track 1 "Fidelity", it is evident that Regina's voice is now much more comfortable in the lower register, lending the entire CD a smoky, blues-bar feel that is very, very appealing.Reviewers have compared this to Feists' "The Reminder" and "I Megaphone" by Imogen Heap. I would agree, but if there is one peeve, and a minor one at that, is that I think Regina should go all out and indulge herself in the more orchestral pieces of work that she seems more inclined to. Some of the songs here, such as "Samson" are in dire need of a revamped version. Then again, I have not seen her in concert, so maybe she does do things differently on stage.Regina Spektor's voice, however, is an acquired taste. I would say that if you don't like Joanna Newsom, you won't like this. Regina and Joanna sing from the same place, and this has been an issue for many listeners who like the music, but don't like the voice.The 30 second audio samples on Amazon don't do this justice. If you are a fan of Tori, Fiona or even Alanis, I would say, give this a blind buy. You won't regret, and even in the worst case scenario, there are at least four good songs here that you can revisit.Four Stars.

4) Highly Recommended   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This is divine pop music. I don't bother to review many albums, and not because I don't have an opinion, but because I don't really care enough to voice it. Regina Spektor's voice is silky smooth, and there is a wonderful poetic eccentricity to her lyrics and her overall musical sensibility. You'll be happy you bought this album.

5) Improving artist   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
Not sure where this album falls in her most recent releases." Soviet kitch", was good musically, but flawed lyrically. This album is an improvement in both area's. worth a listen..