Vienna Teng Album: “Waking Hour”

This album has the most heart and craft of any I've listened to in years, and if music is the universal language, Vienna Teng is one of its most eloquent speakers.

Thoughtful without being pedantic, and classy without being pretentious, Waking Hour offers itself without needless fanfare; it's so captivating that, immediately after I bought the album, I couldn't bring myself to walk back to the car and drive home until I'd read the liner notes first... and this after two hours of listening to the music. My heart and my head were fighting loudly over which loved it more.

Gravity and The Tower, for instance, are near-instant favorites, both for their music and their lyrics. Some songs will tell stories; these two might bond with you as though you've known them all your life. They're so completely human that they probably describe someone you know. They might even describe you. Between and Drought are haunting, approachable waltzes that you'll love whether you're a ballroom dancer, a trained musician, or a thickheaded yokel who couldn't tell Rock from Reggae. Other tracks can show you how cool it is to have a sense of humor about yourself, how to talk about love without using the word `love', and how you're never, ever, too old for a lullabye.

If you're like many I know, your only regret might be that there's only one album so far. Her website has a preview, as well as a few other extras offered in all their self-conscious honesty.

I guess it's kind of fun to be in the small group of people who can say "we knew her when." I was going through a rough time this winter and Vienna's "Waking Hour" CD put me in the best mood! It's so awesome, like every single track is outstanding. I'm a musician and she's the kind of performer I go see and they make me think, boy do I need to get it together. You know how some CDs you buy and you only like a song or two so you never get around to listening to it? Well this is NOT one of those CDs! All you have to do is listen to about 30 seconds of any given song and you'll be hooked like the rest of us in this review section!

She's been compared to Tori Amos and Sarah McLachlan, and yes, her music is vaguely reminiscent of theirs, but hers is quieter, more thoughtful, and leans toward graceful harmony. Her lyrics don't lack substance, though, so you can lose yourself in the music without fearing the empty, bright songs of so many other artists.

Her piano playing is flawless. Her voice, on the other hand, is very *real* and warm, not bothering to hide behind flashy effects and offering straightforward, beautiful melody. And yet it seems no stretch at all for her to sing in a variety of styles, and yet all of them uniquely her own.

"Gravity" is breathtaking, easing into a gentle ripple of piano and then soaring into a waterfall. "Enough To Go By" is warm and possesses a light, buoyant tune--probably the most cheerful of her songs. "Between" sweeps you up in a sad and powerful rhythm, and "Drought," deeply melancholy, seems poised between summer and autumn. The wistful "Say Uncle" speaks of the memories that follow death, while "Lullaby For A Stormy Night" offers comfort to a child frightened by the rain. "Eric's Song" is a simple, quiet love song.

There is not a single song not worth listening to.

I first heard of Vienna through a friend who heard her on NPR back in October of 2002. He was driving when her song came on and pulled over on the side of the road just to listen. This guy knows his jazz, listens to classical, and loves good blues, so I know to listen when he suggests a CD.

I heard her live in California at a coffee shop. Every lyric was poetry and could stand alone without the music. You can hear her musical talent in every song, but it's not a showcase of piano technique. There is a real-life experience behind every song, and Vienna is expressive and genuine because these are her words and her musical thoughts. The anecdotes before each song highlight Vienna's strength as a writer. A good writer's perspective can make any moment becomes more vivid for us, and you can put yourself in the moments captured on this CD.

Every song is great, and every song has a story. I am more than happy to recommend this singer/songwriter. I haven't heard a CD this good in a long time.

i learned about vienna thru the mercury news, a local bay area paper; i learned that vienna is an engineer by profession and a musician by passion, a rather strange combination for how many artists you know are engineers :-)...i went to her website to try out the MP3s and i was immediately captivated by her voice and her melodies. That afternoon i drove to palo alto to see her play in person at Borders bookstore. She's a soft spoken artist with long fingers which resemble young bamboo shoots, fingers that are polished by years of pounding on the ebony and ivory keyboard. I had a wonderful afternoon. The live performance was even better than the MP3s from the web site even though she played solo, just her and the piano. Her keyboard skills were obvious, her fingers just flowed from 1 note to another as if automatically programmed by the brain and the heart. The music was soothing, the lyrics rather melancholic but poignant. While her voice wasn't as deep and clear as celine dion, it was warm and attractive, reminiscent of the Janis Ian of 'Seventeen'. Needless to say I bought the Waking Hour CD and shared the music with my teenaged daughters. To my surprise, they both like it. There's something in Vienna's music that attract both young and old generations, I can't say that for other musicians for I know my kids wouldn't care much about my 70s music. Vienna happened to also play some excellent new songs of hers which have not been released yet. I'm looking forward to the next album already. To those of you looking for good/soft/melodic/soothing music look no further than 'Waking Hour'. In this age of materialistic excesses, especially in Silicon Valley, finding someone as talented and as original as Vienna is a gem!