by Amanda Tripp

It’s been a busy music month in our fair city, and it’s only going to get hotter in here. Somewhere between the Bell Center legend of Metallica and the indie ensembles of Pop Montreal lies a beautiful little woman with a beautiful big voice. Regina Spektor really is something unique on today’s singer songwriter scene: she’s not only an accomplished musician (did she really beat time on a chair with one hand and play the piano with the other, adorable red shoes working their magic on the pedals below – yes, yes she did) she’s also a poet of the day-to-day.

Beyond her vintage dress and soaring voice, Spektor is a powerful, soulful, delicate, human, humble songstress, who smiles bigger than anything when all of Metropolis sings along. I can only imagine what adorable noise she would have made if she’d seen us lined up for block hours before her set. And it’s not just my girl-crush getting out of hand – this woman has her hand on the pulse of today’s in-between-pop-radio-and-underground culture.

She was made to play in person, and if you go out and find her, I promise you won’t regret it. First of all, she’s completely lovable: blushing, she accepts flowers from a fan in the front row, and she seems sincerely surprised when the crowd explodes for Dance Anthem of the 80s (off her newest album Far). She uses all the shy French she’s got and looks like she desperately wishes she knew more. She giggles when we know all the bah bah bahs and the grunts in her songwriting. She is so much more than any YouTube video could ever get explain. Besides, there’s something so universal about the power of good, creative piano playing – it will make you laugh, cry, talk to strangers, and feel safe on the metro on the way home. At the risk of sounding trite, it’s love, and not the romantic kind. Regina Spektor is selling the kind of love that drives fair trade stores, arts programs, flea markets and car shares, but also the kind you would feel about a really good sandwich on a really bad day.

In short, Spektor writes a kind of layman’s lyrical philosophy (she does say two of her featured instruments are mind and time) – whether she’s singing about someone fucking to her song, or the validity of God, Regina Spektor is always holding a friendly hand out to humanity. And who doesn’t appreciate that now and again? Imagine my shame then, when trying to tell people about her show, and all I can come up with is “remember that song that played in the preview for 27 dresses?” (Fidelity) or “well, she had a song on the Narnia soundtrack” (The Call, fyi). Maybe Spektor’s star hasn’t risen as high as it should just yet, but she is definitely on her way to greatness, probably a beautiful messy hilarious one if she has her way, even though she’s not on the radio (ah-oh).

If you do get a chance to see her on her current tour, make sure you get there early enough to catch Little Joy (or, as she tentatively pronounced, Petite Joie) – a really stellar band opening for her these days.

Check them out on their myspace.
For tour dates go to eventful.com