‘Inland Territory’ is Vienna Teng’s fourth album and over the course of the past few years she’s developed into one of the most adventurous and innovative singer/songwriters around.
Unusually for a singer/songwriter she’s a piano-based artist and the album is full of her graceful playing, but it’s not a disc that gets into a quiet, reflective groove as the styles shift over the 12 tracks, from delicate acoustic folk tracks through to more poppy production on a couple of songs. This is an approach that really succeeds and it rather than a ‘mood’ album it feels like a mixed collection of songs, and it’s the variety on offer than really gives the album its charm as the track move from delicate piano pieces right through to full bodied string arrangements.
The one constant across all her albums is Vienna’s crystal clear vocals and she moves from an intimate delivery through to her distinct soaring soprano across the album – there are times across the disc where the vocals are genuinely breathtaking.
While Vienna may be a piano based artist, the range of instruments that make up the sonic palette is varied with virtuoso Kaki King providing guitar; other instrumentation across the disc includes strings, clarinet and the percussion across the disc is striking.
There are many highlight across the whole album and across many styles – the strengths of the disc are summed up perfectly by the first three tracks, ‘The Last Snowfall’ is a delicate track, ‘White Light’ is a poppy contemporary arrangement with a great hook, and ‘Antebellum’ is a beautiful arrangement of rolling piano, subtle strings and excellent percussion that frame the best vocal performance of the whole album.
‘Inland Territory’ is a beautiful album from one of most interesting and inventive artists on the singer/songwriter scene – highly recommended.

Track listing
1 The Last Snowfall
2 White Light
3 Antebellum
4 Kansas
5 In Another Life
6 Grandmother Song
7 Stray Italian Greyhound
8 Augustine
9 No Gringo
10 Watershed
11 Radio
12 St. Stephen's Cross

£12.99