Storms (Nanci Griffith album)

Storms was the eighth studio album released by singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith. When recording the album, Griffith chose to go in the direction of mainstream pop music. This was quite a musical change for her, as her previous albums had been folk and country music. Griffith enlisted the talents of noted rock music producer Glyn Johns for the musical style change. The album landed at No. 42[4] on the Billboard Country Albums chart, and at No. 99[5] on the Pop Albums chart in 1989. The last track on the album, "Radio Fragile", is about singer-songwriter Phil Ochs.[6]

Storms
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 8, 1989 (1989-08-08)
RecordedJanuary – May 1989
StudioOcean Way, Nashville
Genre
Length37:04
LabelMCA
ProducerGlyn Johns
Nanci Griffith chronology
One Fair Summer Evening
(1988)
Storms
(1989)
Late Night Grande Hotel
(1991)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauC+[2]
Hi-Fi News & Record ReviewA*:1[3]

Critical reception

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Robert Christgau did not much care for the album. He gave it a C+ and remarked, "I don't know. But I expect she thinks it has something to do with art."[2]

Writing years later for AllMusic, critic Lindsay Planer noted that although her change in style was not well received by purists, Griffith "unfurled some of her finest musical stories to date".[1]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Nanci Griffith, unless otherwise noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Don't Wanna Talk About Love"
4:06
2."Drive-In Movies and Dashboard Lights" 3:11
3."You Made This Love a Teardrop" 3:05
4."Brave Companion of the Road" 3:16
5."Storms"Eric Taylor3:05
6."It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go" 3:59
7."If Wishes Were Changes"
  • Nanci Griffith
  • James Hooker
3:45
8."Listen to the Radio" 3:44
9."Leaving the Harbor" 3:26
10."Radio Fragile"
  • Nanci Griffith
  • James Hooker
5:27
Total length:37:04

Personnel

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  • Nanci Griffith – lead and harmony vocals, acoustic guitar
  • James Hooker – piano, synthesizer
  • Fran Breen – drums
  • Bernie Leadon – acoustic slide guitar, mando-cello, electric guitar, harmony vocals (track 8)
  • Pat Donaldson – electric bass, mando-cello
  • Neil MacColl – electric guitar (tracks 1, 6, 10)
  • Jerry Donahue – electric guitar (track 7)
  • Mark Donahue – emulator III
  • Phil Everly – supporting harmony vocals (track 3)
  • Albert Lee – supporting harmony vocals (tracks 7, 8)

Production

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  • Produced by Glyn Johns
  • Recording Engineer – Jack Joseph Puig
  • Recording Second Engineer – Joe Schiff
  • Mixing Engineer – Glyn Johns
  • Mising Assistant Engineer – Mike Rose
  • Mastered by Doug Sax

Track information and credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[7]

Charts

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Chart (1989) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[8] 38
UK Country Albums (OCC)[9] 1
US Billboard 200[5] 99
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[4] 42

References

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  1. ^ a b Iyengar, Vik. "Storms – Nanci Griffith". AllMusic. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "CG: Nanci Griffith". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  3. ^ Dellar, Fred (December 1989). "Review: Nanci Griffith — Storms" (PDF). Hi-Fi News & Record Review (magazine). Vol. 34, no. 12. Croydon: Link House Magazines Ltd. pp. 140–141. ISSN 0142-6230. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  4. ^ a b "Nanci Griffith Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved arch 7, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Nanci Griffith Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  6. ^ "The Popdose Guide to Nanci Griffith". Popdose. January 8, 2008. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  7. ^ Storms (liner notes). Nanci Griffith. Philo. 1989. Philo CD 1098.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  9. ^ "Top 20 Albums: Country" (PDF). Music Week. September 30, 1989. p. 8. Retrieved July 20, 2024.