Song Review for Listening Skills

A tragic story brought to life with simple chord pattern and haunting melody, Sampson is one of Regina Spektors greatest works… With both light and shade Samson describes a love story that cannot be sustained. An ascending chord pattern dominates throughout the song. However, with multiple key changes Spektor has managed to create a song that flows perfectly from verse to chorus. I love the rawness of the style in which the song is sung and performed, no hidden sound effects or electronic disturbance, it allows for the beauty of this piece of music to really shine through and demonstrates true natural talent. There is an intelligently blended contrast between the vocal and the piano; they compliment each other perfectly, creating a calm river of perfect harmony, there is no hidden tidal wave to jump out and ruin the journey. Each note and component perfectly follows the other. The biblical references throughout the song are painted splendidly by Spektor but then almost contradicted with ‘and the bible didn’t mention us’ bringing a sombre sense, of a questioning undertone. The jumps between her head and chest voice are done with effortless ease, and what lacks in harmonies is made up for with Spektors unique and impressive solo vocal. She projects her range without sounding strained, and demonstrates she is not just a songwriter but a creditable singer and musician.
The song shows a number of different styles but predominantly weaves between folk and a touch of classical. With its compound key signature the score has a great deal of variety, but keeps to a strict time signature of 4/4. Syncopation occurs throughout the song with the melody starting on the offbeat. This shows Spektor using her classical routes as syncopation can be seen in composer’s works such as Mozart and Beethoven, as well as many modern pop songs.
Samson is a perfect example of Spektors style. Compared to some of her other songs such as Laughing with, and Fidelity, Spektor shows her