Vienna Teng Album: “Warm Strangers”

Warm Strangers is amazing I must say. I came across Vienna Teng online and I was always curious of her. She sounded like she had a very memorable and lovely voice and her piano skills seemed great. Finally I bought the c.d. after hearing Harbor for probably the twentieth time on Amazon's sample. Harbor is the song that propelled me the deepest to buy this c.d. and it is indeed the most strongest and favored song on here for me. Yet there are so many other songs on here that capture me as well now that I have listened to the full c.d. a few times over.

The one thing I must say I love about this c.d. is its lyrics. Some of the songs on here are so strong because of the lyrics, and how Vienna sings them makes them instant favorites. Vienna has background sound on here that is wonderful and suited well for the moods of each song so well. The piano is lovely with Vienna. She is another woman behind the piano, but with her own voice and her own words, and she deserves to be recognized.

I say she is a lot better than Alicia Keys, the only young woman really being favored in the media for her piano skills. Open your eyes people and listen to Vienna Teng! This is the woman you should be hearing! She is among the many young talented female artists that should be recognized but just aren't. Charlotte Martin, Keri Noble, and of course Vanessa Carlton are some of the women that are not recognized for their true talent and Vienna Teng is right next to them. That upsets me, especially while hearing Vienna sing those lovely high notes like on Mission Street. Vienna and a lot other unrecognized female talent could seriously kick a lot of these constantly favored women of the media out off their high horses if just given the chance. Yet the media only wants women who strip and talk about having the perfect boyfriend. That's is a downright shame, for they have no idea how wonderful it is to hear something so different, so magical, and so emotional as Vienna's voice like on My Medea. They're missing out, and they have no idea how much.

Anyway, you fellow readers understand me. Because you think of the exact same thing when you hear such talent as Vienna's. I really enjoy this c.d. I am eager to hear more from her. I believe she holds much talent. I have become a strong fan of hers. And the more I hear her the more I stray from the radio. Thanks Vienna for that.

1) Feather Moon- Love this song. I believe it is an excellent beginning to such a c.d. as this one. It is a slow, haunting song and I enjoy it. 5/5

2) Harbor- This song was the whole reason I bought the c.d. in the first place. I could not get this song out of my head. It is amazingly catchy and beautiful. It is quicker than the first song with a great piano melody. The best song on here to me. 10/5

3) Hope On Fire- I love this song's lyrics. They ring all too true. It is faster, and it makes your heart pound with the heat of her lyrics. Excellent. 5/5

4) Shine- Now she tones it down a bit with this song. Again the lyrics you can instantly attach yourself to, but alas after the first three songs, this song kind of lacks. I love the piano on this though. 4/5

5) Mission Street- Wow this song is great, especially in the chorus. Very beautiful. The background music blends well with the lyrics of the song. 5/5

6) My Medea- This has to be my next favorite next to Harbor. This song is just so powerful and amazingly well written. This story makes me sad because I know the legend of Medea and like all Greek tales it was such a tragedy. Vienna sings it well though, making it so emotional and wonderful to hear over and over. Great job Vienna. If people had ears this would be her second single after Harbor. 10/5

7) Shasta- You know this song is so upbeat but when you read the lyrics you don't think it should match well with what she is saying. Yet somehow it goes well. I like an upbeat sound after the sad tale of Medea. The piano is nice on this song. 3.5/5

8) Homecoming- A lot of people like this song, but I must say I am not one of them. This is one of the songs I have a problem with. It's not a terrible song, it actually has a nice melody but the song I felt was too long. The melody can only last so long before it got to be boring and so I only find myself hearing the song for like three minutes and then skipping most of the time. The melody just gets boring after awhile. 3/5

9) Anna Rose- She makes a strong comeback for me on this song. How beautiful this song is, how beautiful Vienna's voice is on this song, I just love it. I would have liked for this song to be on the radio as well. 5/5

10) Passage- Wow this song is just haunting as well as powerful. Vienna sings by herself and she sings about dying in a car crash. This song kind of reminds me of Vanessa Carlton's song the Wreckage, where she is singing about death in a car wreckage as well. Yet both songs are entirely different and are spoken of differently and just interesting to hear. I like it for its spooky atmosphere. 4/5

11) The Atheist Christmas Carol- I love, I love, I love this song! Another slow song, and very beautiful. Not as dark as Passage, and now she is back with her piano. This song is just delicate and yet emotional. I love the chorus the most. 5/5

Hidden Track- This song is called the Green Island Serenade I believe, this is what I have read on other reviews on here so I assume that's right. It is spoken in a language I do not know, but on this site a reviewer did translate for us. Just look around for it. Overall it is a nice melody, but nothing special to me. Just a nice, slow, and soft song to hear and relax to. Nothing too exciting though, it certainly doesn't match up to Harbor or My Medea. The piano though is so beautiful on it though that it deserves an extra star. 4/5

So overall I believe I give this c.d. a good 4.5 out of 5 stars. It is a great c.d. with great songs, there is not one song on here I hate, but indeed there are one or two songs on here that pale in comparison to all the other brilliant ones. With Warm Strangers she has taken me on a gorgeous and magical journey that only I regret I had not travelled on sooner.

PS- If you love Warm Strangers, check out these others:

Harmonium- Vanessa Carlton

Fearless- Keri Noble

On Your Shore- Charlotte Martin

This Fire- Paula Cole

Ophelia- Natalie Merchant

Under the Iron Sea- Keane

All For Believing EP- Missy Higgins

Safe in A Crazy World- Corrinne May

Five Stars!! I have not heard this CD but I ran across an hour long performance by Ms Teng on PBS. Just her and her awesome piano and it stopped me in the middle of a Sunday night football game. (Thank God for PIP). She sang most of the songs on the CD before an appreciative audience. She reminds me of Laura Nyro and Essra Mohawk, which is a huge compliment in my musical universe.

Her music is very personal, bewitching, and immediate, backed by the enthralling colorations of her piano orchestrations. On the TV special, she tells the very interesting stories behind each song. I consider her to be a major musical find and I will follow her career. My favorite songs of hers are the spellbinding "Harbor" and the stunning "Passage". Bravo, Vienna. Five Stars.

This is the highly anticipated follow up to Vienna's amazing debut, "Waking Hour" and it's worth the wait. Happily, the debut album was not a fluke (not that there was any doubt).

Vienna's beautiful voice and skilled piano playing and songwriting are back...plus. This CD is a tad more produced and employs several more instruments.

"Harbor" has hit single written all over it. I do sincerely hope this makes it to the radio. It will certainly take Vienna to the top of the charts.

On "Mission Street" we really get to hear her amazing songwriting. It already sounds like a classic. Her voice is crystal clear, her words poignant and the other instruments compliment her beautifully.

The more I hear Vienna the more I realize how incredible she is. To be an artist that has it all is really quite rare. Often you have people that have great voices, but can't write. Or can write but shouldn't sing. Or in some cases are just pretty and look good onstage but really can't sing or write. With Vienna you have everything...the whole package. She can play piano classically, write beautiful intelligent songs, sing like an angel and she's beautiful inside and out. What more could you ask for?

(read full review at collectedsounds.com)

This reviewer concurs with fellow reviewers on this page: Warm Strangers equals and exceeds the greatness of Vienna's debut, Waking Hour. With that said, I'd like to add a song-by-song commentary.

Feather Moon: Okay, not my favorite. I want this one to feel as profound as it might have been, but it falls short somehow. If it had been placed elsewhere on the CD, rather than in the coveted "first chair," my expectations might not have been so high. "Harbor" would have worked better as the CD's first song.

Harbor: Melodic masterpiece.

Hope On Fire: I still haven't decided whether I like Hope On Fire, a song that sounds at once stylistically antiquated and progressive (kind of a cool quality). The "oooh-oooh-oooh" lyric irks me at best. This song might sound striking as instruments alone, spiced with the "we're running out of time" stanza.

Shine: Pretty.

Mission Street: Steve Herrman's phrases on the mariachi trumpet are some of the most sublime elements of this song, of this CD.

My Medea: It's an important song, and I salute Vienna for writing it.

Shasta, Homecoming, Passage: These three tracks demonstrate one of Vienna's consistent, vital strengths as a contemporary popular musician: poetic storytelling. Shasta, in particular, serves as a nice, long exhale to the arresting intensity of My Medea, and lyrically kicks .... Homecoming makes one ask, "How does she do that, empathize so precisely?"

Anna Rose: Pretty.

The Atheist Christmas Carol: My favorite. It's a song that has awaited life for some time. Thank you.

Surprise Track Number 12: Beautiful. This song alone makes Warm Strangers worth owning.

The title of this review is what Vienna Teng seemingly has found. I don't know where she gets her song ideas from, but musically her songs are original and lyrically they're simply phenomenal.

Her voice is always crystal-clear and never sounds strained, even at its highest and lowest ends. She must have at least a 2 octave range, but I'm betting its more.

It's hard to believe she's as young as she is (must be early-to-mid-20s) because her songs are very mature and thought-provoking. Who would think that you could write a song with a catchy hook and great lyrics in 5/4 meter? Vienna Teng does (track #2, Harbor).

There are songs with beautiful melodies, such as Anna Rose (like a lullaby), Shine (a beautiful ballad), and The Atheist Christmas Carol. There are also songs that are haunting, like Passage. But the common thread these all have is that they can rivet themselves to your heart because they are universal in their themes and they can appeal to just about anybody.

Instrumentally, the songs are gorgeous (except Passage, that is a cappella!). Vienna Teng is a pianist first and a vocalist second, and you can tell by listening to her play.

If you're wanting to see Vienna in concert, go to www.moderntroubadors.com. She's touring with 3 other wonderfully talented young musicians.