Regina Spektor

Ever since Soviet Kitsch was released worldwide, Regina Spektor has been shedding her veil of obscurity and gaining popularity everywhere.

Her songs have appeared in shows like CSI: NY, Criminal Minds, Weeds, and Grey’s Anatomy. Her song “Fidelity” was also used in the trailer for 27 Dresses, and even a JC Penny commercial was graced with the voice of Ms. Spektor.

One cannot help but be taken with her unique vocal style, quirky song lyrics, and admirable piano skills…not to mention the fact that she is positively adorable.

But recently, Spektor sound-alikes have also been growing in popularity as fast as her sound has.

In fact, there has been much controversy and dispute over whether Spektor was the voice behind a song in a recent Rice Krispies commercial. The song was not actually not her, but a composition created specifically for the commercial. A friend of mine also thought that a song in a recent Macbook Air commercial was Spektor, but after consulting the Internet, conceded that it was “New Soul” by Yael Naim.

But going beyond television ads, there are some artists who could almost replace Spektor in case of laryngitis, and only die-hard fans would notice.

Caroline Keating is a Montreal-based artist whose likeness to Regina is eerie at times. Her pronunciations and her voice sometimes sound almost completely like Spektor. She has a totally vintage look, and her bouncy/catchy music and use of piano are also reminiscent of Spektor.

If I had heard Keating before Spektor, I think I would have been nuts for her; she’s very talented and her music is bouncy and intriguing. However, hearing her after years of Spektor-love distracts from her talent; the music is almost too similar. However, her work is still worth a listen; some of her songs are truly unique, and one has to admire the talent it took to create each piece. Plus, if you feel like being more hipster than your friends, while still listening to something Regina Spektor-ish, this girl has got it.

Another Montreal-based singer, Beatrice Martin of coeur de pirate, has also been compared to Spektor in the past. While it is true that her use of piano is very reminiscent of Spektor, and their voices do sound similar at times, Martin differs in some key ways.

For starters, if one saw Martin walking down the road with her tattooed arms and long blonde hair, one would be more inclined to think that she was in a rock band or maybe the rebellious background dancer for the Pussycat Dolls, instead of an accomplished pianist.

Besides not looking the part, she also has an ensemble behind her while performing; violin, guitar, bass, drums, and the alto sax. This gives her music a more varied sound, although she cannot boast self-proficiency like Spektor and Keating.

Call me crazy, but I think that the fact that coeur de pirate’s music is entirely in French also adds a lot to the sound; it’s beautiful to listen to, and just using another language changes Martin’s sound and sets her further from Spektor.

I have to say that I am a bigger fan of Martin than Keating; her sound is similar to Spektor’s, but it is also distinctly different.

So what’s the final verdict? Regina Spektor and her music are one of a kind. No sound-alike can quite match her vocals or has that certain…soviet kitsch. (please pardon the pun)

However, the music that she inspires is often beautiful as well. As long as the artist can really find a way to separate themselves from Spektor, she is a great inspiration for creation.

Keep it real kids,
Cashlyn