Waking Hour

This album got recomended to me by amazon...and I am very glad it did. I would NEVER had gotten the pleasure of hearing Vienna's amazing voice if not for amazon...so thanks! That said, what an amazing album, intelligent, beautiful, quiet and deep are some words that I would you to describe it. I quite like music that makes one think about the place of birth for the lyric and this does just that...her voice is very personable, the music suited perfectly to the lyric/singing style. I previewed the album before I brought it and at the time I got to Soon Love Soon and the line about "black and the white and the grey" made me buy the album straight away. But now I find my favourite track on the album is Say Unlce....it's been on constant rotation... I will be importing the rest of her albums as NOWHERE in Australia sells them...but they will, I'm sure, be worth the wait.

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!

I have to admit that I am very suprised at how much I enjoy listening to this album. I was afraid Teng was going to be another light-weight Michelle Branch or Vanessa Carlton. Fear not--this is not some pre-packaged pop princess! I would compare her favorably to Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant (especially _Ophelia_), David Gray, and Tori Amos. I first heard Teng perform a couple songs on the radio here in Boston--when I turned on the radio, I thought it was Tori Amos. Then I noticed the song wasn't weird, so it couldn't be Tori. (Haha, sorry Tori.) Every single song on this album is enjoyable. There are points (some of the high notes) where it is apparent that her voice is not fully mature. She said she doesn't have any training as a singer, but somehow that just makes it more earnest. While "The Tower" and "Gravity" are excellent songs, "Between" is the best. The arrangement is interesting and the harmony at the end (with her sister, I believe) is really beautiful. While this isn't a "perfect" album, I highly recommend it: 5 stars.

I've owned this CD ever since I heard an interview on NPR with Vienna Teng. The album is beautifully layered with her unpretentious voice and her talent on the piano. The lyrics prove she is a singer/songwriter to be reckoned with. This is not junk food for the brain, but intelligent and clever lyrics. My favorite songs on the album (though there are no duds) are Gravity, Eric's Song, Unwritten Letter #1, and The Tower. I'll spare the comparisons since they've been said and said again. I'm about to pick up her new album, but from what I've heard, it will rate high also. Definitely pick this one up if you want a complete and beautiful listening experience.

I plan to go to her show when she's in town in a few weeks. The songwriting is very cerebral and not for the head-bangers, but it's very good. She has a unique "voice" that, I'm sure, will be compared with Tori Amos because of surface resemblance, but she's much more musically evolved. (Discovered on Pandora.)

Credit my sister who out of the blue gave me this CD just a few months ago. Waking Hour has become my favorite album. Lively enough to listen while driving on a roadtrip, mellow enough to enjoy before bedtime, and compelling enough to mention to friend after friend, that's what this album has meant to me. When Vienna came to town for a live show, I could not pass up the chance to see and hear her live. Luck would have it my friend and I were seated at the table closest to the stage! With Vienna right in front of us, her hands and fingers on the piano keys in clear sight, it was an amazing treat. Her music, her stage presence, her raw talent made for a great evening. This is an album to be recommended without hesitation. Vienna announced her next album, which is eagerly anticipated, will be released in February 2004.

Another wonderful album from Vienna Teng! A beautiful voice combined with talent on the keys and songwriting. I own all of her albums. I have seen her perform live once and have tickets to a second performance later this year. If you cannot see her live, buy this album! You will enjoy that magic voice!

Previous reviews exceed anything I could offer or add. I re-discovered Vienna Teng recently, and am excited that I could get tickets to see her performing in my city, later this year. Some of her songs choke me up, while others are just fun to listen to, albeit most are not what anyone might call "easy" listening. I believe that this under-appreciated artist deserves way more attention, and that she will eventually get it.

良いです．車に積みっぱなしでずっと聞いています．昔，スザンヌ・ベガを聞いていましたが，よく似たタイプ．ただ彼女の歌よりもヴィエナ・テンの方が心にすっと入ってくる，そんな感じがします．もっともっと売れていいと思える歌手です．買ってみて損はなし．

Vienna Teng is an incredibly underrated artist. Her pure, clean voice is so soothing, and her lyrics are wonderful. I recommend this album for everyone.

enjoyable cd! great sensibility, good lyrics and piano all around . If you like songwriters like Tory Amos, this cd is for you

Vienna Teng ist in meinen Augen eine äußerst begnadete Musikerin. Doch ihr Talent beschränkt nicht nur auf Musik, sie hat auch ein wunderbares Gefühl für Sprache. Die Lyrics auf "Waking Hour" wären auch ohne Musik beeindruckend, denn sie gehen einem unter die Haut. Vienna Teng erzählt von echten menschlichen Gefühlen, die sich weit über das Verliebtheitsgefasel, das man aus jeder Musikrichtung kennt, erheben. Und selbst wenn ihre Lieder von Liebe handeln, dann sind ihre Texte aufrichtig und voller Poesie. Diese wunderbaren Lyrics erreichen in Kombination mit Vienna Tengs Musik erst ihre volle Größe, sie sind melancholisch, bittersüß, traurig, tröstend, liebevoll. Mehrere Lieder auf diesem Album bestehen nur aus Viennas Stimme und Klavierbegleitung. Ich könnte nicht sagen, welches ihrer Lieder mir am besten gefällt. Auch wenn mich nicht jeder Titel beim ersten Mal Hören angesprochen hat, so kann ich doch behaupten, dass ich mittlerweile und nach unzähligem Anhören jedes Lied liebe. Und das ist doch auch schön - dass die Musik einen nicht überfällt, sondern einem die einladend die Hand entgegenstreckt.

VIENNA TENG/WAKING HOUR ビートルズ、カーペンターズ、エルトン・ジョンの頃に音楽を聴き始めました。それから３０余年。初めて女性ヴォーカルのピアノの弾き語りに、あの頃と同じ感動を覚えました。 ファンサイトのＢＢＳを読むと、女性男性問わず、初めて聴いて感動した、涙がこぼれた、という人がたくさんいます。 VIENNA TENGは中国系アメリカ人です。僕たちと同じアジアの血が流れています。だからこそ判る感性が隠れているような気がしてなりません。 一度聴いてみて下さい！必ず何かを感じるはず！！