Artist Regina Spektor

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Regina Spektor

Regina Spektor’s tender ballads are at once familiar and unusual, working like pained arias sung with quiet folkie conviction and lots of pop idiosyncrasy. The Soviet-born chanteuse appeals equally to VH1 fans and indie-rock cynics—a rare accomplishment, and a testament to the oddly sticky sound that Spektor started broadcasting way back when as a burgeoning anti-folk star and eventual opening act for The Strokes. Spektor's quirky songwriting and piano-driven sound make Tori Amos comparisons seem inevitable—for good or ill, especially considering that one song on this year's Far is full of dolphin noises—but Spektor's musicality and songcraft sweep aside most petty complaints.

Updated 09/14/2009