PROFILE:
Pete Teo is perhaps Malaysia’s finest gift to the English musical world. In the years since he first won critical praise for his work in the duo Mid Century, he has spent time as a session musician, film scorer, and much-talked about solo artist.

His live shows in Malaysia and Japan have earned him a rabid cult following, and much critical praise.

In 2003, he garnered rave reviews for the release of “Rustic Living For Urbanites,” a classy collection of intelligent, evocative songs that explores themes both universal and obscure.

Now, in 2004, music lovers in the rest of the world can finally hear the sensitive songwriter-storyteller’s music for themselves.

Teo’s natural talents provide him the ability to provide the many important ingredients needed in a solid album: sweet melody, delicate singing, imaginative song structure, and evocative lyrics.

These elements, combined with a warm, live sound, help make “Rustic Living For Urbanites” a truly enjoyable listening experience.

Above all else, Teo excels in crafting tales, drawing the listener into a world crafted out of words and melodies that feel more like an aural movie than just a musical piece.

The music is uncluttered, having space to dance around the air and waft towards the listener - thanks in large part to having been recorded on vintage analogue equipment.

The digital manipulation so often employed in today’s music is nowhere to be found here.

Armed with six year’s worth of quality songs (all loosely tied around the recurring themes of love, loss, living, and letting go), Teo gathered a formidable group of musicians, and the resulting work is a very mature, sophisticated album.

Many of the musicians and engineers donated their services because they believed in this project, and the result is telling.

Listeners will appreciate the album’s charms from the opening moments of “Arms of Marianne,” with its brisk guitar figures, droning harmonium backing, and Teo’s almost scat-style approach to singing.

The simple love-story plot is elevated by Teo’s poetic lyrics, with elegant lines like “We’ll be afraid, and even hesitate / But we’ll talk all night and sleep all day / And then we’ll kiss and touch like lovers, won’t we Marianne?”

Teo’s way with words, indeed, is one of the strongest appeals of “Rustic Living For Urbanites”.

Printed in the liner notes, the lyrics stand by themselves as little conversational vignettes - and when set to Teo’s delicate music, the words are given a potent backdrop.

A fine example is on “Alive N’ Free,” where the gentle sounds of a mournful acoustic guitar slowly envelope Teo as he sings “Some days, I don’t remember what it’s like to be alive and free.”

And then there is the plaintive “Marianne Called”, which features the erhu, sparingly used electric piano, and Teo’s warm, soulful voice singing about all that might have been, and wondering whether paths not chosen would have been worthwhile: “Sometimes I wished I had caught that train and set free the cage around my heart”…

This is an intense body of work – and executed with sure-footedness more often found in the best works of old masters.

It not only explains why the album was nominated for so many awards in Malaysia, but also why Teo is one of the most exciting artists in the world today.

Rainmaker Publicity. Boston USA.

Contact: info@peteteo.com
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Website: www.peteteo.com
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REVIEWS
“Pete Teo could prove to be the Chinese world's most important crossover artist. He paints his stories with the brushstrokes of a master - his colours are dynamic yet washed out, revealing melancholia.” Bruce Stringer, Music Street Journal (USA)

“Rustic Living For Urbanites is a remarkably quiet debut album. But it unearths a shout of brilliance that should be heard by everyone who appreciates music.” Michael D’Oliveiro, The Star (Malaysia) “Being bummed out doesn’t sound any better than this.” Adlin Rosli, KLue Magazine (Malaysia)

“Superb musicianship, a voice Chris Rea would kill for, and enviable production. An album to be listened to in its entirety - don't even try to judge it on single tracks.” David Kilpatrick, CD Baby (USA)

“Every once in a while an artist comes in from the fringes to shake things up and challenge the preconceptions we have all become comfortable with… which is why artists like Pete Teo are important.” Matt Daniels, Kakiseni (Malaysia)

“Mellow, mature and with more than a hint of studied cool to his repertoire, Pete Teo is making ambitious music that requires his audiences to use their brains.” Zack Yusof, The Star (Malaysia)

“Pete Teo is an artist-poet-musician in the truest sense of the word. His songs are poetry in motion. If you have lost your head lately and need to get back to reality with both feet on the ground, Rustic Living For Urbanites offers wonderful music with sobering thoughts to help you get there.” Keith Hannalect, Muzik review (USA)

“There is nothing about Teo's disc that I can fault. It's a gem from start to finish.” Bill Ribas, NY Rock (USA)

“Pete Teo, Malaysian native, might very well be a pop music genius. His worldview helps to create an otherworldly aura, as he comes at us from an angle that we’re not accustomed to. There’s a vague sense of mystery shrouding him, building a pleasant curiosity. This is intriguing work; it feels like Zen pop, hinting at life’s answers but offering only questions.” Fred Kraus, Minor 7th (USA)

“Simultaneously manic depressive, brooding, bittersweet and epic to the point of being cinematic, Rustic Living For Urbanites is pure exhilaration.” Dave Avran, The Musician (Malaysia)

“Rustic Living For Urbanites is musically polished yet emotionally raw. It delights and saddens in equal measure, and above all, leaves the listener in no doubt that Pete Teo is a force to be reckoned with.” Simon Burgess, In Bangsar (Malaysia)

“Perhaps its his tender songwriting that puts words to lovemaking or maybe it’s the fondness with which he strums the guitar, but the outcome of Rustic living For Urbanites is ground shatteringly good pop songs. It is guaranteed to sand down the rough divide between the cult fanatics that are already attached to every wisp that Pete Teo is involved in and the new fan that has only recently caught on.” J-Sin, Smother.Net (USA)

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