Storms (Nanci Griffith album)
Storms is singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith's eighth album. In it she heads in a third musical direction, that of pop music. Griffith, whose background is primarily folk music, turned toward country music in her preceding four or five albums, and here, again, ventures into a little different style. Griffith enlisted the talents of noted rock music producer Glyn Johns for the musical style change. The album landed at #42[3] on the Billboard Country Albums chart, and at #99[4] on the Pop Albums chart in 1989. The last track on the album, "Radio Fragile", is about singer-songwriter Phil Ochs.[5]
| Storms | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 8, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | Ocean Way Studio, Nashville, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Country pop Folk–Pop | |||
| Length | 37:04 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Glyn Johns | |||
| Nanci Griffith chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Robert Christgau | C+ [2] |
Critical reception
Writing for AllMusic, critic Lindsay Planer notes that although her change in style was not well received by purists, Griffith "unfurled some of her finest musical stories to date."[1]
Robert Christgau didn't much care for the album. He gave it a C+ and remarks, "I don't know. But I expect she thinks it has something to do with art"[2]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Nanci Griffith, unless otherwise noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(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 Taylor | 3:05 |
| 6. | "It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go" | 3:59 | |
| 7. | "If Wishes Were Changes" |
| 3:45 |
| 8. | "Listen to the Radio" | 3:44 | |
| 9. | "Leaving the Harbor" | 3:26 | |
| 10. | "Radio Fragile" |
| 5:27 |
| Total length: | 37:04 | ||
Musicians
- Nanci Griffith - Lead & Harmony Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
- James Hooker - Piano, Synthesizer
- Fran Breen - Drums
- Bernie Leadon - Acoustic Slide Guitar, Mando-Cello, Electric Guitar, Harmony Vocal (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 Vocal (track 3)
- Albert Lee - Supporting Harmony Vocal (tracks 7, 8)
Production
- 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.[6]
Charts
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[4] | 99 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[3] | 42 |
References
- Iyengar, Vik. "Storms - Nanci Griffith". AllMusic. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- Christgau, Robert. "CG: Nanci Griffith". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
- "Nanci Griffith Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved arch 7, 2020.
- "Nanci Griffith Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- "The Popdose Guide to Nanci Griffith". Popdose. January 8, 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- Storms (liner notes). Nanci Griffith. Philo. 1989. Philo CD 1098.CS1 maint: others (link)