VIENNA TENG: Warm Strangers

Vienna Teng

Warm Strangers

© 2004 Virt Records under exclusive license (824003100723)

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Featured on LETTERMAN & NPR. A dazzling collection of lush, melodic songs, incorporating Vienna's classical tendencies and folk sensibilities within a contemporary pop framework.

tracks

1 Feather Moon
2 Harbor
3 Hope on Fire
4 Shine
5 Mission Street
6 My Medea
7 Shasta
8 Homecoming
9 Passage
10 Anna Rose
11 The Atheist Christmas Carol

notes

FEATURED ON: LETTERMAN, NPR, CBS EARLY SHOW, & CNN

"With lilting vocals reminiscent of Tori Amos and lush strings that underscore her intricate piano arrangements, Teng serves up sharp songs" (Entertainment Weekly)

"With Teng's clear, pitch-perfect voice and rhythmic piano set against varying arrays of strings and brass, this is a haunting collection from a promising newcomer." (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

"Teng's singing voice is simply scrumptious" (Philadelphia Daily News)

"Her sound is lush, engaging and representative of her increasingly mature songwriting." (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

"Teng has taken a confident step forward to create a set of songs that are sharper, deeper, and even more enchanting than her debut, proving that her talent and music are worthy of the accolades that continue to stack up around her." (All Music Guide)

Acclaimed San Francisco-based singer/songwriter Vienna returns with her stunning sophomore release, Warm Strangers. The album is an enchanting collection of lush, melodic songs, incorporating Vienna's classical background and folk sensibilities within a contemporary pop framework. The album was produced by David Henry (REM, Josh Rouse) and mixed by Roger Moutenot (Guster, Joseph Arthur). Whereas her debut, Waking Hour, written during the high school and college years, was mostly autobiographical, Warm Strangers marks Vienna's bold leap into fiction. Orchestral and acoustic landscapes, using everything from string quartets to slide guitars, provide an inviting sonic backdrop for her short stories of love, death, struggle and hope. In describing Warm Strangers, Vienna notes, "We pass through each other's lives so briefly that it's easy to think of the people around us as mere objects, cold and removed. Writing songs is my way of breathing warmth into them. Attempting to tell their stories, however fictitious the results, reminds me of our common humanity."

reviews

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  • loved this cd
    author: Lucy

    I first heard of this artist at a public tv station. I really enjoy her music.

  • what a glorious surprise!
    author: jukeboxxx88

    Wow, only 2 nights ago, I saw Vienna Teng on KQED and I was transfixed from the first note. I sat glued and basking in every note she played and word she sang. Luckily a friend looked up who this awesome performer was, because as much as I craved to find out, I wouldn't move... lest I miss something. Wow a wonderful new artist, or so I thought at the time. As I sought more information today, what a glorious surprise I found. It turns out years ago on garageband.com I had playlisted her only song on that site on two playlists! I'm astounded and thrilled to have found much more from her! I'll be looking forward to this CD's arrival once I finish this review to go order it. I've heard some of the tracks and it's difficult to pick a favorite, they're all wonderful!

  • Enchanting! Gorgeous voice, beautiful music
    author: pam

    Vienna Teng has a beautiful voice and her instrumental accompaniments are just lovely. It has one beautiful song after another.

  • Beautiful, Profound, Enchanting- all of that!
    author: Raquel

    Vienna Teng has a beautiful c.d. here. Her songs are powerfully driven with reflective lyrics and sung by a beautiful and powerful voice. This woman holds an inner fire that burns throughout her songs and anyone that doesn't know these songs are missing out on great listening experience. Some soft songs, some fast, all equally enchanting and they will hook you from track one. Get to know the name Vienna Teng!

  • rich voice with great range, smooth melodies, chilling out music!
    author: Amy

    Chilled out music for grown-ups, this is really excellent. Vienna has a fantastic voice, with a great range, and the music really backs it up. you know when you hear a great voice but just hate the style of song? This is not one of those at all! Very Sunday morning chilling, or winding down after a great night out with friends - well OK, pretty much anytime you want beautiful music! This is smooth without being bland and is highly recommended.

  • A Must Have!
    author: Katmeower

    I could listen to this album over and over again until the end of time. A true must have, please add it to your collection!

  • An incredible talent I would love to hear more about soon!
    author: Ralf Houben

    As long as there are people writing music such as this, there is no need to worry about the world!

  • I'm buying this right NOW
    author: Crystin Byrd

    I've been looking for this: Vienna. This is the music I crave! A fantastic musical combination of talent, intelligence, and beauty. So rare.

  • the power of an earthquake and volcano in one package
    author: Steve Gilmore

    Rather appropriate that Ms. Teng is from San Francisco, the site of one of history's most famous earthquakes, and that the title of one of the tracks on Warm Strangers" is "Shasta", the site of a famous volcano--for this CD packs the power and punch of an earthquake AND volcano, all in one package. Likewise, her haunting piano accompanyment invites comparisons to Tori Amos. But the title of a Tori CD--"Little Earthquakes"--suggests another appropriate comparison. Don't get me wrong, Tori Amos is a genuine talent, with few peers. However, this CD is no "Little Earthquake"--this is the Big One that folks in California have been predicting for years. Well, music lovers in California and the less earthquake-prone regions of the world need wait no more--the Big One has arrived at least!

  • this cd is GREAT
    author: alice

    this cd is really good, vienna does a great job with the songs and adding more instruments than her last cd, waking hour which is really good too. the songs on this cd seem to come alive as you listen to them. i would recommend this cd to everyone.

  • Sophomore Surprise
    author: Alice Marie

    Follow-ups to great debuts aren't easy, but neither is leaving a lucrative day job for a shot at a music career. Vienna handled both with aplomb. "Harbor," Hope on Fire," and "Shasta" alone make the purchase worthwhile.

  • listening to warm strangers made me depressed
    author: Wellington Lee

    Listening to warm strangers made me depressed. The songs were so sad they made me cry.

  • wow, absolutely gorgeous.
    author: Amy - Collected Sounds

    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. 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 the above URL)

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