You Oughta Know : Regina Spektor

On BEGIN TO HOPE Regina Spektor takes on the role of Delilah, letting Samson know that he is her "sweetest downfall." It's one of those songs that can make you immediately swoon, and it's a tad less idiosyncratic, though no less catchy, than the rest of the New York pianist's wonderfully eccentric material. From Joni Mitchell to Tori Amos, pop has had its share of expressive woman pianists. Spektor's a Russian emigre who fits right into that lineage by flaunting both whimsy and drama. Every element of her songs - from the odd little keyboard filigrees to the genuinely cinematic lyrics - bolsters her storytelling. When she tells interviewers that she felt grown up at the age of nine, it's revealing. Here's an "old soul" who never doubts her childish glee.