'Fidelity,' Regina Spektor
From 2006's 'Begin to Hope'

When I first heard this song, Regina Spektor seemed poised to become the Next Big Thing in Girlie Music, garnering comparisons to Fiona Apple and fellow well-buzzed chanteuse Nellie McKay. While her vocal quirks and hiccups may ruffle some folks, it's those eccentricities that offer up some oomph. In 'Fidelity,' Spektor's lilting repetition of the word "heart" in the chorus is like the cozy, well-worn sweater I reach for on gray, overcast days. Listen carefully to hear her inflection change ever so slightly with each repetition and you'll start to wonder about the things that might be breaking her heart. Or perhaps about the things that always break your heart -- like puppies and kittens without homes, and the time you were stupidly unkind to your mom at 13. If you're like me, you'll not only get tears in your eyes but treasure those idiosyncrasies in songs . . . and life.

Hear the song after the jump.