Live In London - Regina Spektor Album Review

Regina Spektor

Photo: Shervin Lainez link

Album Review

Sent from Russia with love but very much living the all American dream Regina Spektor continues to utterly impress and enthral with her latest release, 'Live in London'. Recorded at the Hammersmith Apollo on December 4th 2009 and directed by Adria Petty, Live is a treasure chest of Regina's best bits thus far.

Having made 5 studio albums that have shown a steady evolution into a truly accomplished singer songwriter Regina has captured a retrospective 'best of' and added in a couple of previously unreleased gems. The complete package includes a fabulous 22 track CD as well as a 90 minute DVD plus a couple of poignant extras. As live albums go you'd be pushed to ask for, or squeeze in, anything else. This is Regina Spektor, the singer, the songwriter and most definitely the outstanding performer.

What is most astonishing about this Live performance is its stunning clarity both in the breathtaking range and depth of Regina's vocal coupled with her virtuoso piano performance. She surely is the Twentieth Century's answer to an early seventies Elton John or mid-seventies Billy Joel, she's that good. She writes the most individual of songs; witty, rye, well observed slices of an unconventional side of life and delivers them with her unique voice. All the hits are here and from the off she holds the audience captivated by every stroke of the keys or breathe from her mouth.

The first four songs take in the last three studio albums and just prove to show how good her repertoire is and how well those songs stand up in the live arena. 'On The Radio' sets the gig going and from there on in there is no respite in quality, clarity, execution or enthusiasm. There is something oddly pleasing about hearing Regina sing 'Marie-Ann's a bitch' with such perfect intonation and projection as she plays through 'The Sailor Song'. She treats us to a near a capella new song with 'Silly Eye Color Generalizations' and does a fabulously theatrical and dramatic 'Apres Moi' with it's part Russian verse.

'The Calculation and Laughing With' are mid concert highlights before Regina goes for broke as she heads towards the curtain call. In 'Hotel Song', 'Us', 'Fidelity' and 'Samson' you couldn't fail to be won over, if indeed you'd been in any doubt as to the quality in the near flawless performance that evening. The bouncing and ridiculously catchy beats of the opening track of 'Begin to Hope' dare you not to sing along after the undulating waves of violin in 'Us' ring out to "It's contagious". At her most melancholy on 'Samson' she slows proceedings down before finally closing with a little country track she wrote 'Love, You're a Whore'.

The whole event is a showcase of Regina's multifaceted talents. The orchestration is sublime and the production spot on. 'Live In London' is in short a great CD & DVD that deftly captures Regina giving a genuinely stunning performance. If you've got a little money left after the Christmas festivities it's sure to enhance your collection. Why 4.5 and not 5...I'd have liked a just a little bit of audience interaction, a little bit of chat.

Andrew Lockwood