Four stars

There is something balletic about Regina Spector's hands as they light over the keys of her grand pianos. Backed by throaty cello and occasionally overpowering drums, the Moscow-born, Bronx-bred singer-songwriter has the lithe muscularity of a dancer. This precision is the common thread stitched through an eclectic set from an eclectic performer.

Spektor, touring her sixth album, What We Saw From the Cheap Seats, lights up the stage of Glasgow's O2 Academy and is lit in turn by a just-tamed cacophony of coloured flashes.

The well-kent classics are all here, including On the Radio, Ode to Divorce, Dance Anthem of the 80s, Eet. There are the conflicting strings of You've Got Time; the sweetness of Better; the falling, lightly dragging chords of Blue Lips.

From her newest album Call Them Brothers and Ballad of a Politician stand out - the latter more nuanced than your average pop song, comparing the shaking of men's hands to a prostitute shaking her goods in the street.

From time to time Spektor teeters on the edge of affected but you have a feeling she knows herself and her lighter moments are so full of twinkle that some overwrought accent changes or beat boxing efforts are easy overlooked.

Best, she does what other acts fail to do - she makes her audience work for their encore. After an agonising stay in the wings, Spektor returns with the gift of Us, Fidelity, Hotel Song and a flawless Samson.