SPEKTOR, REGINA

A mere five years ago, Regina Spektor was hypnotizing small crowds at hole-in-the-wall venues on New York's Lower East Side until after her second album, "Soviet Kitsch" became her calling card when signed to Sire Records in 2003.

While touring nationally and abroad in support of "Soviet Kitsch," Spektor began as an opening act but by year's end was the main attraction. Going from 200-capacity venues to selling out 1,300 capacity-venues like New York's Irving Plaza and London's Shephard Bush Empire, this Russian-born chanteuse's songs have gone from being burned in her bedroom to receiving a worldwide fanfare. Though in love with playing shows to her rapidly growing audience, Spektor had written hundreds of songs since "Soviet Kitsch" and was eager to get back into the studio.

Abandoning her usual method of production and opting for a new experience, Spektor holed herself up at New York Noise Studios in NYC's Meatpacking District with seasoned producer David Kahne (Paul McCartney). Spending two months during the summer of 2005 working on her fourth release (this new album is also considered her major label debut), Spektor had the opportunity to experiment.

Taking two months to record was a huge amount of time by Spektor's standards, since she had recorded her "Songs" record in 1 day and "Soviet Kitsch" in 10.

On "Begin To Hope" Spektor took the lyrical vignettes and sparse instrumentation she crafted for "Soviet Kitsch" and pushed herself more in every directionboth lyrically and musically. From the staccato strings plucking the opening chords to the album's first song, "Fidelity," to the blues-infused homage to Billie Holiday "Lady," Spektor isn't able to pinpoint the exact inspiration behind her musical musings.

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