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."

8 of 9 found the following review helpful:


Tender observations of romance and conflict  Jun 04, 2000 By dev1
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.

2 of 3 found the following review helpful:


Notes from Bingo  Oct 29, 1998 By rwright@sanfran.cushwake.com
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).


listen to it all the time  Mar 19, 2012 By E. A. Sprinkle
I really like this album. Listen to it all the time. I listen while I making dinner. I listen while I'm driving. It is so good.

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