Regina Spektor

Classically trained, well-read, and alluringly cosmopolitan (she was raised in Moscow and New York), singer-songwriter Regina Spektor has been nothing short of captivating since her self-released 2001 debut, 11:11. Introduce yourself to her eclectic body of work with "Better" from 2006's Begin to Hope (pared down "piano and voice" version included here), 2009's "Eet" (with its flourishes of delicate beat-boxing), and the irresistible "Fidelity," the video for which picked up over 200,000 YouTube hits in two days on its release in 2006. Spektor holds a grunting audience in the palm of her hand, in Next Steps.

Here, Spektor surprises and charms us at every turn, whether it's the crowd-wowing Live at Lollapalooza version of "Bobbing for Apples," the flawless merging of classical piano with traditional Russian/Jewish elements on "The Flowers," or her strangely feel-good tune about a woman dealing with cancer, "Chemo Limo." Among the many standouts on 2009's Far, we've selected "Blue Lips," an existential mediation produced by the Electric Light Orchestra's Jeff Lynne — one of four high profile names recruited for the release — and the whimsical, witty "Two Birds" (a collaboration with Jacknife Lee, known for his work with U2, Snow Patrol, and Weezer).

Transplanted from Russia age nine, raised in the Bronx thereafter, and classically trained at the Purchase Music Conservatory (before which she had practiced on a synagogue piano), Regina Spektor honed her skills on New York's anti-folk circuit before breaking out to global acclaim. She's toured with the Strokes, Kings of Leon, and Keane, and has become something of a go-to artist for the music supervisors on TV shows — you'll find her work in everything from Weeds to Grey's Anatomy, probably because many of her songs lend themselves to poignant moments that hang by a slowly twirling thread. Fall in love with these Spektor Essentials, ranging from her touching cover of John Lennon's "Real Love" to original standouts like "Us" and "Laughing With."