Customer Reviews

Storms

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

i own & love just about all of nanci's recordings. however, when i first heard this one, i hated it. it sounded totally overproduced to my ears, and i just couldn't get over the fact that the drums were programmed.
eventually, nanci's songwriting, voice and sincerity won me over & i came to love this album just as much as any of her's.
somehow she manages to say really cornball things that would make my teeth itch if anyone else said them. god, i used to be a punk rocker! but when she says anything, i just love it. can't go wrong with nanci griffith, but know the difference--her recordings vary considerably.

This was my first Nanci Griffith cd, and, while now most of my favorite stuff of hers predates "Storms", this album still holds a special place in my heart.

That, and it's an elegant, smart, classic album with very few low points. Some highlights: "Listen to the Radio" took off as the fan favorite, and it's a rousing rocker, a great song. Nanci thinks of "It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go" as her most important song, and it really does have the punch of a civil rights anthem, as well as being infinitely campfire-sing-able. "If Wishes Were Changes" is a complicated take on unrequited love written after seeing Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire," and it makes us all wish we had angels who sang in our dreams.

Me, I'm partial to "Brave Companion of the Road," my favorite track off this album. "Leaving the Harbor" is also eerie and beautiful, and "Radio Fragile" is a sharp, sad little ode to Phil Ochs.

If this album does have a clinker it's probably the opening track, "I Don't Wanna Talk About Love," but even that one has its moments: "you can hear it in a disco midnight, shouting."

Overall, this does have a more "produced" sound than Nanci's earlier work on Philo/Rounder or her later work on Elektra, but "Storms" is definitely the best of MCA-era Nanci.

At the very least, it's anything but dull. Or, as she sings on Eric Taylor's excellent title track, "is loneliness contagious? Another damn song about a waitress."

Texas is home to several eminent storytellers including Guy Clark, Towns Van Zandt and Jerry Jeff Walker. If you haven't already done so, add the name Nanci Griffith to your list. Her tales on Storms are tender observations of romance and conflict. With her girlish voice and a touch of Texas twang, Nanci focuses on a tried-and-true country theme - leavin.' She has a poetic gift for symbolic lyrics. "Love is but a fragile flame and trust just fuels the fire" from `You Made This Love A Teardrop.' And from `If Wishes Were Changes' - "I wish I had angels who sang in my dreams." Although delicate and sweet, her voice brims with conviction and confidence (Storms, Listen To The Radio). And while I'm name dropping names, Nanci surrounds herself with a group of accomplished musicians including Pat Donaldson (bassist with Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, Kate & Anna McGarrigle), x-Eagle's guitarist Bernie Leadon, and Lucinda Williams' drummer Fran Breen. Storms with tug gently on your heartstrings, the compositions are tightly structured, and the musicianship is first-rate. `You Made This Love A Teardrop' is well worth the price of admission.

Great stuff in here. It's a Hard Life Where Ever You Go is very good. True and beautifully sung. Radio Fragile reminds me of a guy I grew up with (there's probably one in every community).

Some of this album is a bit over-produced, but still contains the same kind of Griffith magic. I would also recommend "Other Voices, Other Rooms."

Why is this Nanci's best album? For 2 very good and valid reasons. 1)It is produced by the great Glyn Johns. I don't think that he has been used since and the results have never been so good, and 2)The album is recorded analogue rather than digital.This medium allows Nanci's somewhat nasal voice to sound natural and relaxed. Compare the sound on this album to the digital releases of similar vintage and you will find them all but unlistenable. Simply put:In digital Nanci sounds like she's singing out of her nose. The highlight track here is "Listen to the radio" which is a delightful song with a massive piano sound amazingly recorded. Spin the black vinyl and sit back and enjoy!! If you threw the turntable out,don't worry it even sounds sensational on CD.