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(2 Customer Reviews)
Even with her initial, tentative performances while still a student at Stanford, Vienna Teng caused an immediate stir in the California singer/songwriter scene. She self-released her debut LP, Waking Hour, in spring 2001, but consistent Bay Area buzz, strong website sales, and Teng's captivating live show led to interest from Massachusetts indie Virt, which signed her in May 2002. Three of Waking Hour's tracks were then remixed for radio by David Henry (Yo La Tengo; Guster), and an extensive tour brought one of the Bay Area's best-kept secrets to nationwide ears. Teng is an extremely intellectual songwriter who fills the spare moments of her piano-driven songs with wordy unions of personal emotion and reflections on the seasons. While she possesses a powerful voice, it's her command of melody and her subtlety that really stand out on Waking Hour. The Henry-produced tracks -- "Tower," "Gravity," and "Enough to Go By" -- could be considered chamber pop, with their shuffling percussion and lush, quietly surging stings accentuating Teng's gorgeous vocals. At the same time, "Daughter" and "Lullaby for a Stormy Night" are as delicate as hand-blown glass. As heartwarming as the latter song is, where Teng harmonizes with a child's voice on the reassuring line "Everything's fine in the morning/The rain'll be gone in the morning/But I'll still be here in the morning," she's elegantly jaded in the arch, duskily toned "Daughter." "Did you know you're so beautiful on the edge of summer?" she asks in a resolute tone, and the song's slightly mournful yet sure-handed piano line seems to trace the fading lines of a dissolving relationship. After such a powerful yet achingly intimate statement, the processed Middle Eastern rhythms and electric guitar solo of "Between" are a bit overwrought; the added instrumentation tends to dilute Teng's strikingly mature songwriting. But this is by no means a slight, as Waking Hour is a confident debut that's startling in its emotional and intellectual depth, but never too brainy that it loses sight of melody and song structure. ~ Johnny Loftus
Recorded at CCRMA, Stamford University, California, Digidesign HQ, Palo Alto, California, True Tone Recording, Nashville, Tennessee.
Personnel: Vienna Teng (vocals, piano, keyboards); David Henry (guitar, cello); Eric Miller (guitar, synthesizer); Will Kimbrough (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); John Given (electric guitar); Kim & Dave (violin); Craig Wright, Jim Batcho (drums); Peter Wetherbee (percussion).
Audio Mixers: David Henry ; Eric Miller .
Recording information: CCRMA, Stanford University, CA; Digidesign HQ, Palo Alto, CA; True Tone Recording, Nashville, TN.
Personnel: Vienna Teng (vocals, piano, keyboards); Tiffany Shih (vocals); Will Kimbrough (acoustic & electric guitars); David Henry (guitar, cello, bass); Eric Miller (guitar, synthesizer, bass); Dave Kim (violin); Jacob Eisenstein (bass); Craig Wright (drums); Peter Wetherbee (percussion).
Producers: Eric Miller, Vienna Teng, David Henry.
Waking Hour Music | List Price | $15.98 (You save $3.69) | | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, Rock CDs | | Label | Virtuosi | | Orig Year | 2002 | | All Time Sales Rank | 16619  | | CD Universe Part number | 5329317 | | Catalog number | 1003 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Nov 05, 2002 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Personnel | David Henry - guitar, cello, bass Craig Wright - drums Eric Miller - guitar, synthesizer, bass Vienna Teng - vocals, piano, keyboards Dave Kim - violin Jacob Eisenstein - bass Peter Wetherbee - percussion Tiffany Shih - vocals
Also: Will Kimbrough, Nashville, Kim & Dave, Digidesign HQ, Jim Batcho, John Given, Palo Alto, Stamford University, True Tone Recording |
Vienna Teng Waking Hour Songs Waking Hour Music Review Average Rating: (5 out of 5 stars)   Modern full sounding folk music Very interesting and creative lyrics. Wonderful musical arrangements. A blend of folk and modern music. The type of CD that you can listen to on a continuous basis. Submitted by a reviewer (Pittsfield, MA)  Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
Soothing, elegant, lovely 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. Each one is lush does not fail to evoke incredible imagery. Submitted by a reviewer (California) Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
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