The last few times I’ve covered Regina Spektor have been her early, early stuff, because I like it a lot more than most of her more current material. Begin to Hope was way too poppy for my liking, and Far was a decent compromise between her old and new song styles, but still had a bit too much of a commercial edge that kept me from delighting in it as much as Soviet Kitsch, Songs or 11:11. Her latest album, What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, is by far a more successful melding of old and new Regina. That may be because the majority of the songs were written earlier in her career, or it may be that she decided to do this CD with a more playful, independent mindset; whatever the case, it worked. “All the Rowboats” is a great example of the album’s focus. It’s one of the darker songs on the disc, but her drum kit mimicking and cynical lyrics remind me heavily of her old music, and that’s definitely a good thing in my book. I need to listen to it some more, but I think it’s the best overall CD she’s done in years.