Begin to Hope
Begin to Hope | ||||
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Studio album by Regina Spektor | ||||
Released | June 13, 2006 | |||
Recorded | SeeSquaredStudio and New York Noise Studios, NYC | |||
Genre | Anti-folk, indie pop, chamber pop, piano rock | |||
Length | 47:15 | |||
Label | Sire 9362-44112-2 | |||
Producer | David Kahne, Regina Spektor | |||
Regina Spektor chronology | ||||
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Singles from Begin to Hope | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 80/100[1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
The A.V. Club | A−[3] |
Blender | [4] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[5] |
The Guardian | [6] |
Pitchfork Media | (7.5/10)[7] |
PopMatters | (9/10)[8] |
Rolling Stone | [9] |
Slant | [10] |
Stylus | B[11] |
Begin to Hope is the fourth album by American singer-songwriter Regina Spektor.[12] It was released June 13, 2006. The album debuted at number 70 on the Billboard 200, but due to the popularity of the single "Fidelity", it peaked at number 20[13] and was labeled a "pace setter" by Billboard. Rolling Stone magazine named it the 21st-best album of 2006.[14] The album was certified Gold by the RIAA for shipments to U.S. retailers of 500,000 units.[15]
The album was nominated for the 2006 Shortlist Music Prize.[16]
Track listing
All songs written by Regina Spektor.
- "Fidelity" – 3:47
- "Better" – 3:22
- "Samson" – 3:10
- "On the Radio" – 3:22
- "Field Below" – 5:18
- "Hotel Song" – 3:29
- "Après Moi" – 5:08
- "20 Years of Snow" – 3:31
- "That Time" – 2:39
- "Edit" – 4:53
- "Lady" – 4:45
- "Summer in the City" – 3:50
- Deluxe Edition bonus disc
- "Another Town" – 4:07
- "Uh-Merica" – 3:16
- "Baobabs" – 2:02
- "Düsseldorf" – 3:09
- "Music Box" – 2:11
- iTunes Store/Amazon MP3 bonus tracks
- "Hero" – 3:44
- "Bartender" – 3:12
- Vinyl edition disc 2, side A
- "Another Town" – 4:10
- "Uh-Merica" – 3:19
- "Baobabs" – 2:04
- "Düsseldorf" – 3:12
- "Music Box" – 2:07
- Vinyl edition disc 2, side B
- "Better" (Piano and Voice) – 3:09
- "Better" (Radio Recut) – 3:12
- "Hero" – 3:45
- "Bartender" – 3:12
Personnel
- Regina Spektor – piano, vocals, guitar, percussion
- Nick Valensi – guitar on "Better"
- David Kahne – bass on "Better"
- Zhao Gang – erhu on "Field Below"
- Ralph U. Williams – saxophone on "Lady"
- Shawn Pelton – drums on "Fidelity", "Better", "On the Radio", "Hotel Song", "Après Moi" & "That Time"
- Rachel Beth Egenhoefer – album design
Charts
Peak positions
Year | Chart | Peak Position[17] |
---|---|---|
2007 | Australian ARIA Albums Chart | 29 |
2006 | Austria Albums Chart | 72 |
2007 | Ireland Albums Chart | 18 |
2007 | New Zealand RIANZ Albums Chart | 10 |
2007 | Swedish Albums Chart | 18 |
2006 | U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers | 1 |
2007 | U.S. Billboard 200 | 20 |
2007 | U.K. Albums Chart | 53 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
---|---|---|
New Zealand (RMNZ)[18] | Gold | 7,500^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[20] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
Single success
In 2006, Regina Spektor's first single, "Fidelity", premiered on VH1. Soon after, VH1 included her among "You Oughta Know: Artists on the Rise".[21]
Spektor performed "Fidelity" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in July 2006 and on ABC's Good Morning America in April 2007.[22] She also performed "On The Radio" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in November 2006. She performed the song again on Late Show with David Letterman in April 2007, and on the Australian Rove McManus show in 2007.
"Better" was released to US radio in late July 2007. It was featured in the fourth season of the CBS TV show, How I Met Your Mother, in an episode titled "Happily Ever After."
Even though it hasn't been released as a single, "Hotel Song" has reached #11 in the Irish music download charts and #16 in the Irish Top 50 Singles Chart as of May 2007. The song is featured in mobile phone company Vodafone's TV commercial in Ireland, contributing to the song's popularity in the country. The song was also featured in the 2011 Jennifer Westfeldt film Friends with Kids.
"Musicbox" is featured on a JCPenney commercial.
"Samson" is a new recording of a song originally released on 2002's Songs. "Samson" was featured on CSI: NY in the second season episode "All Access". Additionally, Gwen Stefani used the song for her Season 9 battle between Korin Bukowski and Chase Kerby.
"Field Below" was on an episode of Criminal Minds.
"Après Moi" was covered by Peter Gabriel on his recent album Scratch My Back.
"That Time" was featured in the 2008 Martin McDonagh film In Bruges starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.
"Hero" was featured in the film (500) Days of Summer, along with "Us" from Spektor's previous album, Soviet Kitsch.
Sales
- In New Zealand, the album was certified Gold for sales of more than 7,500.
- In Australia, the album was certified Gold for sales of more than 35,000.
- In the United States, the album was certified Gold for shipments of over 500,000 copies.[23] Its sales have since surpassed 600,000 according to Nielsen/Soundscan.
References
- ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/music/begin-to-hope/regina-spektor
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ The A.V. Club review
- ↑ Blender review
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly review
- ↑ The Guardian review
- ↑ Pitchfork Media review
- ↑ PopMatters review
- ↑ Rolling Stone review
- ↑ Slant review
- ↑ Stylus review
- ↑ Block, Melissa (2006-06-28). "Stories in Song: Regina Spektor's 'Begin to Hope'". NPR. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
- ↑
- ↑ Dec 11, 2006 8:53 AM (2006-12-11). "The Top 50 Albums of 2006". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
- ↑ "RIAA Certifications for Regina Spektor". Billboard. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
- ↑ "Cat Power Wins 2007 Shortlist Music Prize". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
- ↑ "Music Charts – αCharts". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
- ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 August 2012. Enter Begin to Hope in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑ "American album certifications – Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 25 August 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
- ↑ "New Music Artists Info on You Oughta Know, Rising New Artists, See Photos & Watch Videos Online". VH1.com. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
- ↑ "The Virginian-Pilot Archives". Nl.newsbank.com. 2007-04-05. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
- ↑ "Gold & Platinum – October 10, 2009". RIAA. Retrieved 2009-10-10.
Preceded by Move by Yourself by Donavon Frankenreiter |
Billboard Top Heatseekers number-one album July 01, 2006 |
Succeeded by Inhuman Rampage by Dragonforce |
Preceded by Rock Star Supernova by Rock Star Supernova |
Billboard Top Heatseekers number-one albums (second run) December 16, 2006–January 06, 2007 |
Succeeded by K.O.B.: Live by Aventura |
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