Regina Spektor will release her highly anticipated new studio album ‘What We Saw From The Cheap Seats’ on May 28th on Sire / Warner Bros. Records. The album reunites Spektor with production partner Mike Elizondo (Eminem, Fiona Apple, Dr. Dre) and is her first album of new material since 2009’s ‘far’.
‘What We Saw From The Cheap Seats’ was recorded over an eight week period this past summer in Los Angeles. Spektor wrote each of the eleven tracks on the album. She arrived at the session with a collection of new compositions, but others were pulled from earlier periods.
She and Elizondo fleshed out instrumentation and sought to make each of the songs standalone sonically. Most of the songs were recorded live with Spektor on piano and vocals, while additional instrumentation was added to these original takes.
Of working with Spektor, Elizondo says, "Regina Spektor is that rare artist that continues to surprise. Just when you think you have her figured out, she knocks you out with something completely different.
"It’s that spirit that drives this record. Each song takes you on a journey that only Regina is capable of providing. She has truly outdone herself."
Previewed by the release of the current single ‘All The Rowboats’, the next track to be taken from the album will be ‘Don’t Leave Me’ which is out on March 27th as a digital download. Spektor will also release an exclusive 7" of two Russian cover songs, ‘The Prayer Of François Villon (Molitva)’ and ‘Old Jacket (Stariy Pedjak)’, for Record Store Day on April 21st, impacting on May 21st. She will also play North American tour dates commencing in April with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, performing new material from the album.
Spektor studied classical piano and garnered a loyal live following in New York before self- releasing two albums. Her breakthrough album ‘Soviet Kitsch’ was released by Sire Records in 2004 followed by ‘Begin to Hope’ in 2006.
The album included fan favorites ‘Fidelity’, ‘Samson’, ‘On The Radio’ and ‘Better’ and was certified gold in the U.S. Spektor followed the album with ‘far’ (2009) and ‘Live from London’ (2010), which was recorded at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo during the ‘far’ tour.
Regina Spektor has also confirmed two major UK shows. She will play her first ever show at London’s Royal Albert Hall as well as a date at Manchester’s O2 Apollo. The full details are:
July
2nd - London, The Royal Albert Hall
4th - Manchester, O2 Apollo