Following her relatively unknown album "11:11", Regina's second full length album "Songs" was recorded and released on a whim. In fact, this album wasn't even supposed to be released at all. And perhaps that's the beauty of this stripped down piece of work. Each individual song was recorded in just one take, and judging by the quality of these recordings that is almost entirely unbelievable. For something that shouldn't even exist to the public's ears, this is a well balanced album.
Think of this a precursor to what Regina is today. The bare sound of this album allows you to really hear this beautiful young lady in all of her glory. The simplicity of it all could potentially bore some listeners, but her meandering and extremely bizarre lyrics and vocal delivery will certainly interest many. This isn't your typical modern day singer/songwriter...this is a woman bringing her own unique brand of folk.
If you even want to call it that, each individual song on here tells a story, but the lyrics are so out there and bizarre that it's really hard to piece together any core meaning behind them. Not saying that as a bad thing, but on tracks such as the crazy "Daniel Cowman" lines like "...the premature ejaculation of his death", just leave you scratching your head in bewilderment. And yet, despite all this strangeness it hints towards sheer genius...not full blown genius (that would come one album later), but the groundwork for a woman capable of major stardom, if only there'd be a big enough audience willing to accept such a thing.
And if any major Regina fan really wants to see a great blueprint of what she is today...listen to the opening track of this album...the original version of one of her very best tracks "Samson". This one's stripped of all the extra instrumentation present on the latest version but it's still magical and feels even more slow paced and personal, and actually suits this album well as an opening track.
Overall, it's a necessity for any Regina Spektor fan, but is without a doubt her weakest release to date. Even so, even at her weakest this is one enjoyable listen, although it can get a tad bit boring after while. Who cares, this album shouldn't even exist...cherish it for what it is, a precursor to greatness.
