I’ve always thought that those detractors quick to dismiss Regina Spektor’s career with words like ‘quirky’, ‘oddball’ or ‘sentimental’ were missing out on a unique talent with incredible piano and songwriting skills and a sad-sweet voice to match.
Sure, there are moments when whimsy or sentimentality may arguably have led Spektor a step too far into eccentric or syrupy territory, but she finds success more often than not.
What We Saw From The Cheap Seats isn’t necessarily a huge departure from earlier work –in fact it reminded me a great deal of her first effort, Soviet Kitsch– and yet this feels like Spektor’s most nuanced, finest album to date. Particular highlights include the flourishing ‘Small Town Moon’, her re-recording of ‘Don’t Leave Me’ (‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’), and the album’s debut single ‘All The Rowboats’, a powerful, dramatic tune that, set in a gallery, speaks of ‘All the rowboats in the oil paintings, they keep trying row away, row away.’