Vienna Teng - Dreaming Through the Noise

Teng is a Stanford grad and former computer geek who worked for software giant Cisco Systems in California’s Silicon Valley. But you’d never know it listening to this album, which is neither soulless nor calculating. Rather, the 27-year-old singer-pianist, working with producer Larry Klein (Madeleine Peyroux), crafts emotionally rich songs like the celebratory “City Hall” and the exquisite “Whatever You Want.” Add string-laden numbers like “Now Three” and her music sounds like a kind of luxurious chamber folk.

July 25