Kate, What a nice review! Being limited to so few words must be a major challenge. I see there are no reallys, verys or extremelys in there (some of my favorite words :-).
I got "Waking Hour" soon after the Letterman show and love it, especially the sound of the piano and the other light instrumental touches. I also like Vienna's singing. Her voice is whispery and intimate and then all of sudden she sings forcefully and clearly, and who knew she had it in her? I like the contrast. And I like the poetic lyrics, too. And the subtle humor, such as the song about a friend who's, alas, "only a friend", which is done as a tango, something usually associated with passionate romance. And I love the way there's tension in the music, and then all of a sudden there's a wonderfully comfortable feeling. The cd is full of surprises, even after listening to it many times. It's great to find something at their very beginning. Can't wait to see what's up next for her. Debra Shea Kate Bennett wrote: > > Vienna Teng > The Waking Hour > (Virt Records) > I first learned of Vienna through another performing songwriter as they were > planning a tour together, looking for venues and places to stay. Then I > heard friends raving about her performance on Letterman. Listening to music > samples, I was enchanted enough to buy her CD. Shes been described as > Chopin meets Sarah McLachlan, and although I dislike these kinds of > comparisons, in this case I admit it is very accurate. Classically trained > on piano and educated at Stanford, Viennas voice is beautiful, her lyrics > intelligent, and her melodies deeply moving. Highly recommended!
