Given her association with The Strokes (Gordon Raphael sits at the production helm) and history of touring with bands like the Kings Of Leon, one might reasonably approach Regina Spektor’s major label debut with certain expectations – drums, guitars, that sort of thing for a start. Should we be surprised, then, to find that this is a largely solo piano-and-voice kind of record? Given that the Moscow born, New York-raised Spektor is a classically trained product of the anti-folk scene (whatever that actually is), probably not. Either way, Mary Ann Meets The Gravediggers is a hugely intriguing record.
Given its stripped-back nature, Spektor is forced to carry the whole thing through personality alone. No problem, as it turns out. Her voice is extraordinary, a mix of blues, soul, jazz and avant garde influences, and one that betrays both her Russian and Bronx upbringings. The songs, meanwhile, are fairly out there and sound like they were born in a NY basement club in front of a cooler than cool, chin-stroking crowd. On occasion, the whole thing collapses under its own pretension, but when it’s good – which is most of the time – it’s utterly wonderful. Not easy listening – but then again neither is Antony, and look what happened to him.