REGINA SPEKTOR

Meet Regina Spektor- singer and song writer par excellence. Unless you have been hibernating under a boulder in a remote part of the Amazon, you must have seen one of her videos on TV. Or have you?Let me not embarrass you any further by persisting with that question.

I wont waste time going on about her and how talented and inspiring she is. Suffice to say that currently she rocks my world! Just when I had been getting extremely disgusted with the current state of music, especially western, Regina came like a refreshing breeze on a God forsaken Saharan summer's day. How may I best describe her music... hmmm, lets just say that she is part musician and part enchantress.

The amount of stupidity one sees in today's musical scene is just puke inducing. Everyone is a rip off of someone else! Now, inspiration is one thing but plain imitation is very unacceptable in the world of art. Into this extremely bland and depressing situation, once in a while someone like Regina waltzes in and re-assures me that everything is not lost, not yet and not now. The words she chooses to give flesh to her music are so exquisite and simple that you can't help but nod in silent agreement. Sample this- " You are my sweetest downfall" from her song 'Samson'. If that's not poetry of life then what is? As one goes on living we realize that most things in life are ambiguous and, needless to say, inexplicable. This ambiguity and mystery is what Regina excels at presenting.

Being a Russian- American Jew, her songs have allusions to the Jewish culture and one can almost picture Bar Mitzvahs and passover feasts as one listens to her songs! The past and history are also things that characterize her song writing, lending to her an almost prophetic role. For isn't the future a repetition of the past, and isn't one who understands the past a seer of the future?

Too much description may ruin the fun of listening to someone as instinctive as Regina Spektor, so I suggest that you follow the link below and listen to my favorite song of hers 'Samson'. Immerse yourself in the music of life!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=p62rfWxs6a8