Regina Spektor took the Saturday Night Live stage over the long weekend to perform two numbers from this year’s excellent Far backed by a drummer, cellist and violinist: the quirky, upbeat “The Calculation” and the wistful, building “Eet.” (Check out “Eet” above and “The Calculation” after the jump.)
More demure than Lady Gaga’s theatrics on last week’s episode and U2’s explosive set on the season opener, Spektor’s vocals sounded stellar against the often unfriendly acoustics of studio 8H. She channeled retro-’40s fashion with red lipstick and her hair in ringlets, and sported a polka-dot dress for her second number. The Russian-born singer-songwriter — who was introduced by host Drew Barrymore — seemed totally absorbed in her craft, only breaking from her piano to offer a shy “Thank you” at the end of her performance. Next week, Shakira unleashes her “She Wolf” on the SNL stage.
Earlier this month, a leaked Jay-Z track called “Crispy Benjamins” featured a sample of “Chemo Limo” off Spektor’s 2004 disc Soviet Kitsch. The track is rumored to be released later this year as a part of an unconfirmed Jay-Z greatest hits collection. Spektor is also confirmed to be contributing songs to an upcoming musical called Beauty, which is based on the Sleeping Beauty story and slated for a debut during the 2010-2011 theater season.
In the meantime, Spektor is keeping busy on the road — she kicked off her fall tour last night in Massachusetts, and returns to New York tomorrow to play the city’s famed Radio City Music Hall before heading out west and then overseas through the end of the year.
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Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily