Oh, Regina, let me count the ways. She just has this magic oomph of creativity, charm, vocal gymnastics, and a daring to be weird that I can’t seem to get enough of. I probably only like 40% of her songs (a very good rate for picky ol’ me), but she produces more songs that I outright love than almost anyone. Stuff like* On The Radio, Better, Samson, Two Birds, Folding Chair, Us, Human of the Year*, etc. Even most of the songs I don’t like, I can respect because she’s trying something interesting.
My wife and I like her. We’ve seen her live twice now and both times were a treat. Her last show we caught was at the Chicago theater this past summer and was one of the best concerts either of us had seen.
Oh, by the way, I’m sure you’re fully capable of locating her albums, etc but if you find her interesting as a person, there’s several NPR pieces where she talks about her music, history, and all that jazz. Be sure to play the “Listen” part and not just read the pieces.
I’m a big John Lennon fan, but Regina’s live version at Bonnaroo turned this song into one of my favorites.
In answer to your question, I don’t think anyone is exactly like her, but there are some artists who individually have some similar qualities you may want to explore. (YMMV)
[ul]
[li]Yael Naim[/li][li]Katie Costello[/li][li]Inara George (also as a part of the Living Sisters a brand new side project to be released at the end of March with two other artists whose name escapes me right now.)[/li][li]Jesca Hoop[/li][li]Ana Laan[/li][li]Emily Wells[/li][li]Nellie McKay[/li][li]The Langley Sisters[/li][li]Tori Amos (her predecessor, as far as I’m concerned)[/li][/ul]
and some Bens…
[ul]
[li]Ben Folds (I’m sure you’re familiar with their duet)[/li][li]Ben Sollee[/li][/ul]
Tori Amos is pretty much the godmother of the (sorry, I realize this is almost a meaningless word) quirky, often piano-based female singer-songwriter niche of music. Kate Bush, as well.
To second **B. Serum **(whose musical taste I love based on what I see listed)
Nellie McKay
Emily Wells
Jesca Hoop (a thousand times, yes)
And some others:
Mirah
Pretty Balanced
Ani DiFranco
Rasputina
Dresden Dolls
Amanda Palmer
Jenny Owen Youngs
Imogen Heap
Matson Jones
There’s a South African band you may want to check out - Dear Reader. They were formerly known as Harris Tweed. These are the DR song Great White Bear, and the HT song Ode to Confusion. Youtube has other links.
I’ve actually done this, but I’m not terribly impressed with the results. It’s been giving people like:
Ingrid Michaelson - I really like The Hat, but otherwise, not very inspiring. Kate Nash - Does some of the cool Regina-esque vocal things, but the actual songwriting is not very strong (Mouthwash is OK). A Fine Frenzy - Meh Feist - Only heard as couple songs, but so far, meh.
I had my work friends load up in the truck to go to lunch one day and when I started up the truck, Regina Spektor’s Consequence of Sounds was playing on the CD from the drive to work.
I almost got my man-card revoked.
But I don’t give a shit and I will stand by Miss Spektor. She’s a wonderful vocalist and lyricist.
I’ve had a similar experience, when a couple of guys were standing around making fun of On The Radio cuz one of them had heard it earlier. I mentioned that it was one of my favorite songs in all of existence, and they thought I was just messing with’em…
What kind of female musicians are we man-folk supposed to like? Regina at least doesn’t talk about love and men in every damned song, which already makes her more manly than like 75% of other pop artists.
As for Neko, I already love her, at least her later stuff. Fox Confessor is one of the best albums of the decade. I can see you have good taste, though, and to hell with the haters!
I love Regina. Those sweeping cresendos just take me away!
I came in here to recommend Nash, although I don’t think she is nearly as good. But if you praise Mouthwash, you GOTTA love Dickhead, too, right? That’s my joint!
So I’ve seen her name pop up a few times, and your post finally pushed me over the edge into checking her out. She not only has a pretty voice, but displays some nice songcraft in her self-titled album, esp. in songs like Shelcha and Pachad. I really wish I spoke Hebrew! The lyrics in her English songs seem a bit shallow, though I guess it’s possible her Hebrew lyrics are no better. Apparently New Soul was the hit that actually charted on the Billboard Top 10, and it’s one of the weakest songs on the album.
That is indeed a great cover. I listened to most of the songs on her first two albums, and you’re right, Ms. Feist is growing on me a little. I guess my main problem is, while she does have a great voice, the majority of her songs do nothing for me. Songs like The Mast just seem like a tremendous waste of her time and talent. But thanks for the heads up; she’s definitely interesting enough that I’ll probably try to listen to her two more recent albums as well.
I love Regina, too. I’d recommend you try St. Vincent. She’s in a similar category - beautiful woman, beautiful voice, clever songs, kinda weird - but substitute guitar for piano. Both of her CDs are good, but I think I like her debut, Marry Me, a bit better.
I also recommend Imogen Heap. She’s less similar, but still delightfully weird. Her voice isn’t as strong as Regina’s - a bit breathy - but her songs are strong.
