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Storm Warning www.stormwarning.co.uk Quotes from CD reviews for ‘Something Real’
“Soulful gut-bucket groove that’s half hard times,
half good-time-all-the-time…..they delve deep into breezy jazz, fiery
rock or smoky R&B, but the blues always call them back.”
Classic Rock magazine. “Clever,
complex and compelling…this is a progressive album that sounds
relatively distinct from any predecessors. An impressive assured set.” Blues
in “Blues
workout par excellence, this British group’s second album oozes
class……..Love to see them play live – this is joyous, uplifting
stuff” Sunday
Express “One
of Blues
Matters magazine “This group sounds pro, looks pro and
completely avoids sterility by taking care with their material….There
is nothing on this disc that the band cannot deliver live on stage.”
- Pete Sargeant www.fairhearing.co.uk
'Something Real' by Storm
Warning is a sublime piece of modern electric blues, cool and
sophisticated, just about as good as it gets and totally on the button!!
Brilliant!! “ - Peter J Brown aka toxic pete “A great album, with some of the best gob iron that I've heard in a longtime. Stuart 'Son' Maxwell is there with the likes of William Clarke and Charlie Musslewhite.” - www.fatea-records.co.uk “Prepare to be entertained with a capital ‘E’……Bob Moore is a terrific guitarist… Son Maxwell has the perfect voice for this sort of thing – and he blows a really tasty harp to boo.t. - Hi Fi Plus magazine ‘Something
Real’ is an outstanding album of blues rock that demands the widest
exposure.”
- Zeitgeist
“It truly
is something real; a quality product from a class act.” - Blues Show Bob GTFM Blues Show “It's a
great album - Ace playing throughout too!”
– Gary Fletcher The
Blues Band “Great
cruising album for the car, very meaty “–
Sue Marchant BBC Radio
Cambridgeshire and Three Counties Radio "Home
crowd see that Storm Warning
are more than a bit special.” Pete Feenstra www.feenstra.co.uk
“This is a
superb follow up album and one that is well worth adding to any blues
collection.” Terry Clear Blues Bytes
website www.bluenight.com/BluesBytes
Reviews for the Storm Warning album
Something Real
From the Toxic Pete
review website www.toxicpete.co.uk
Storm Warning CD - Something Real
'Something Real' is Storm Warning's latest
album outing and what a ride!! Blues solidly at its heart but tinged
with slick jazzy vibes and all wrapped up in a protective rock layer,
'Something Real' is a piece of posh-blues, mature nu-blues, blues with
breadth and depth! Something real indeed!! Something special!!
Storm Warning take all the earthy elements of the blues, the more
refined intricacies of modern rock and a few unpretentious jazz
syncopations, they carefully blend them in their very experienced and
worldly-wise music-machine and come up with a modern style and sound
that's pure class which incorporates blues artistry of the highest
order. 'Something Real' is a positive mega-feast of stylish electric
blues for the here and now. Stylish and modern maybe but, Storm Warning
never lose the plot, they never slip into of the trap of
over-embellishment or allow things to go off track; Storm Warning apply
themselves with cool professionalism and hard-gigged maturity. Storm
Warning know the blues and feel the blues and they give it out here with
such ease and understanding that they make you, the listener, feel part
of their being, make you feel it just as they do! Storm Warning give it out here with eight originals and one cover;
just short of an hours worth of solid gold contemporary electric blues.
You want slow and moody? You want up-tempo and vibrant? You want down
and dirty? Here, you got it all!! Storm Warning do everything you'd
expect; they give you light and they give you shade, they give you big
and they give you bold, they give you power and they give you passion -
but above all Storm Warning give you - The Blues!! Storm Warning play
with experienced solidarity and well-honed unity but they also offer you
the solo trips, the virtuoso excursions. However, they always remain
grounded and focused on the task in hand - no-one is allowed to rule the
roost, sure they take turns, sure they show their individual prowess and
sure there's instrumental interplay but, in the end, Storm Warning are a
band built on fantastic musicianship, understanding and mutual
appreciation and respect - Storm Warning are a stylish and mature blues
combo dishing out stunning electric blues of the highest order. 'Something Real' by Storm Warning is a sublime piece of modern
electric blues, cool and sophisticated, just about as good as it gets
and totally on the button!! Brilliant!!
Review from
the Fatea website www.fatea-records.co.uk Storm Warning fall into the why the hell haven't I
heard of these guys before section and are the sort of band that Fatea was
set up for. "Something Real" is powerful and evocative blues
album, performed by five highly talented musicians that deserve to be
better known at home. Grafting hard to get the sort of gigs over here as
they're picking up on the European mainland. The lack of exposure doesn't
detract from what is a great album, with some of the best gob iron that
I've heard in a longtime. Stuart 'Son' Maxwell is there with the likes of
William Clarke and Charlie Musslewhite. Review from Hi Fi Plus magazine www.hifiplus.com
Now
here’s a fabulous ray of sunshine to combat those ever-increasing
household bills and fuel prices…a band with a sound that harks back to
the glory days. Pop it in the player, press play and prepare to be
entertained with a capital ‘E’. The
first thing to hit is the sound of the guitars; they pulsate with energy,
the kind of energy Richie Blackmore generated with Deep Purple. Now before
we get ahead of ourselves, Stormwarning are not a heavy rock band – more
a heavy blues band with a light jazz coating and a strong rock backbone.
Seven minute opener On The Road is a perfect example of what they
do best; there are 30 seconds of haunting keyboards and tinkling guitars
before the band kick in on the coat-tails of a throbbing backbeat. It’s
a sublime way to introduce any album and I guarantee you’ll go straight
back to the start and play it again before moving on to the remaining
eight tracks. Bob
Moore is a terrific guitarist, as comfortable playing the heavier stuff as
he is when he’s in more authentic blues mode, whilst Son Maxwell has the
perfect voice for this sort of thing – and he blows a really tasty harp
to boot. More writing space is needed to do Stormwarning full justice. I don’t have it so I’ll just say go out and buy…you won’t be disappointed! Music 9 / Recording 8 STORM
WARNING - “Something
Real”
(Phil
Jackson - Zeitgeist website) Storm
Warning is a band that has obviously absorbed a lot of influences mostly
rooted in classic blues- as it says in the promotional flier a lot of the
numbers on ‘Something Real’ sound like standards. It’s
also nice to hear a keyboard player in a blues band and Ian Salisbury does
his fair share of work adding a synth line here such as on the 7 minute
opener ‘On The Road’ (Very much in the style of Rory Gallagher with
tongue in cheek lyrics- once a bluesman, always a blues man I suppose!)
and an electric piano or piano break there (for example on ‘Charlie’s
Blues and ‘Blues 101’
where Bob Moore’s soaring guitar breaks are also highlights). One
thing I haven’t mentioned yet is singer Son Maxwell’s harmonica that
sounds fantastic throughout. I was looking forward to hearing the two
longest numbers to see how such a tight and proficient band would ‘fill
the space’ and I was not disappointed. The slow burning blues of the
title track is 9:37 is right on the nail and puts succinctly into words
what many of us feel about the shallowness and sensationalism of the media
contrasting it with ‘something I can use’, something more substantial
i.e. the blues! The list of artists that forms the ‘medication when I
need a dose of the truth’ proves the range of classic influences alluded
to in my opening remarks. The
second longest number is a solid 8:20 rendition of ‘Nothing But Smoke’
played with great subtlety (But not missing the point!) with some more
great guitar work. Instrumentally
organ is used more and more as the album progresses to provide some
simmering ‘fills’ on the title track and in a more upfront way on the
upbeat ‘One Step Forward’, sounding for all the world like a lost Rory
Gallagher classic with Moore on top form on guitar. Harmonica
growls at the beginning of ‘I Don’t Know’ (then solos later on), the
organ is back (also soloing) and some jazzy guitar accompanies another toe
tapper (with a solo of course!) Storm
Warning are on a winner here with a classic of blues influences, mostly
modern but also capturing an authentic blues spirit from the past. Their
playing borders on the empathic and the rhythm section of Derek White and
Roger Willis holds the whole thing together well. I
haven’t even mentioned my own favourite number yet, a kind of antidote
to the strident feminism prevalent in the blues (not unwelcome!) It’s
entitled ‘Hard To Be A Man’ and that is all I need to say. ‘Something
Real’ is an outstanding album of blues rock that demands the widest
exposure.
Review from The Sunday Express www.express.co.uk
‘SOMETHING REAL’ REVIEW - BLUES SHOW BOB The opening bars of this CD reflect the tense wait we’ve all had for this, the second release from Storm Warning. Due for entering the public arena in the Autumn of 2007, it finally achieved a release date in June 2008. Was it worth the wait? Well, these guys are all seasoned musicians and I’m willing to take their assurance that there were compelling reasons for keeping us hanging on. The result is, frankly, magnificent! Storm Warning, for those who are new to the band, are led by Stu ‘Son’ Maxwell; also author of a series of hugely popular tuition manuals. And here, he gives us a master-class in the use of Blues harp – at once colouring the songs with full-on blowing then countering with soft, carefully phrased passages. And his voice, whilst lacking the octave range of Plant or Paul Rogers, perfectly matches the requirement on these compositions. He is a great ‘down and dirty’ Blues singer. Guitarist Bob Moore’s work is precise. But this is precision without pedantry; each phrase apposite and skilfully plotted by a man at the very top of his game. There are numerous ‘call and response’ exchanges between harp and guitar throughout the CD, echoing the field hollers of yore. But, although these instruments are largely dominant, Ian Salisbury on keyboards claims his rightful place within the project; at times reminding me of The Doors’ Ray Manzerek at other times playing in superb barrel-house piano style. The rhythm section, Roger Willis on drums and Derek White on bass allow a solid canvas for the others to paint their musical melange and it works. Exceptionally well. This band understand the laws of musical dynamics; they can move from a contained mood to total exuberance (and back) in the space of one song. But! Can they write songs? Ask British Blues legend, Chris Farlowe. He’s just covered a song from their debut CD on his latest album… And he should know. Make no mistake. The CD lives up to its name. It truly is something real; a quality product from a class act. - Blues Show Bob GTFM Blues Show
July 12 2008 www.gtfm.co.uk
www.myspace.com/gtfmbluesshow
www.slimsblues.com
STORM
WARNING CD SOMETHING REAL 9 GREAT TRACKS, MY
FAVOURITES ARE 2,4,6 AND 8. “The
new storm warning album is a great cruising album for the car, very meaty
“– Sue Marchant BBC Radio
Cambridgeshire and Three Counties Radio Storm Warning have been cited by some as a British Robben Ford Band and to a degree they cover a similar Funky Blues Rock slice of the contemporary blues musical pie, but when Blues Review USA magazine says "Bob Moore's guitar work is extremely tasteful" and "Son Maxwell sings like Billy Gibbons did thirty years ago " its obvious that the "home crowd"see that Storm Warning are more than a bit special. www.feenstra.co.uk
STORM WARNING A
second album from this lineup following the well-received 'Breaking Out'
set, with the classic drums/bass/guitar/keys/harp instrumentation to draw
upon ; inspired by rock and blues master figures (bassist Derek White runs
a roots cd supply firm) the best thing about this band is that they are
not modelled on a particular artist or band and furthermore they write a
lot of own material. Harp
and vocal man Stu Maxwell was kind enough to co-star at my band's tribute
to Junior Wells earlier this year, alongside John O'Leary and if you want
an example of his skill on the reeds try his take on 'Nothing But Smoke'
included here, as cool as the modern blues can get. There is nothing on
this disc that the band cannot deliver live on stage, which is often down
to the nimble rhythm section (Roger Willis on drums) ; Ian Salisbury could
pass for John McVie but plays keys in this lineup. Bob Moore plays fluid
guitar but rarely sounds like a Clapton imitator – hear his steady lines
on starting cut 'On The Road', a blues travelogue if ever there was one.
Hear them skip into 'Blues 101' with Maxwell using a dirty harmonica tone,
what a great jazzy feel and unusual chord changes. A soulful cruisin'
sound rolls 'Something Real' along like a riverboat, the guitar sings and
leaves plenty of spaces, beautiful ! 'Long Ride' has a very cool keyboard
part and an edgy beat. This
group sounds pro, looks pro and completely avoids sterility by taking care
with their material – how easy it would be for them to do all the
cliched numbers that every band does. But they have their own style which
has the potential to take their appeal way beyond a 'blues audience'-
Pete
Sargeant A New Fan "Guys,
you made my day. Listening (with half an ear) to the Classic Rock freebie
in the car, when this track came on that made me listen more attentively.
This sounds good, is that Robben Ford? Whoever, he's good. Touch of Rory Gallagher in the vocals? Can't be, can it? This is really good, who is it? Storm Warning? Never heard of them.Park up, Google the band, find website. Album out, great! HMV here I come! Gig list, brill! I am converted, and have seen the light. Now I need to see the band! Best wishes, Craig" (a new fan) “Clever,
complex and compelling…this is a progressive album that sounds
relatively distinct from any predecessors. An impressive assured set.”
– Rating 8 - Blues in
STORM
WARNING Something Real -
Blues Matters! Magazine ‘Something
Real’ is the eagerly anticipated second album from one of STORM
WARNING
SOMETHING REAL Blues
Bytes website
www.bluenight.com/BluesBytes
Here, at last, is the follow up to the hugely popular 2006 album “Breaking Out”. It’s been worth the wait – this is even better than “Breaking Out”, and that’s no mean feat! The Album comprises 9 tracks, 8 of them original, and opens with the moody into to “On The Road”, a track that really sets the scene for this CD. Son Maxwell blows some very atmospheric harmonica before taking the vocals on this driving blues track. The album moves on to “Hard To Be A Man”, the tempo picking up a bit and a steady bass line pushing the band forward into a boogie beat that gets your feet tapping for the whole of the track. “Charlie’s Blues” once again shows off the harmonica of vocalist Son Maxwell, with the tempo stepped down ever so slightly from the previous track, and some keyboards way in the back ground from Ian Salisbury. “Blues 101” makes reference to just about every well know blues track you’ve ever heard – this is a very cleverly written track and Maxwell gets some real dirty blues sounds out of his harmonica, with great solo work over a percussive bass line – at times, there’s a jazzy feel to this track as it switches and moves through the instrumental section, and it really holds the listener’s attention – certainly a contender for the best track on the CD. “Something Real” slows down the pace to ballad speed and gives you a chance to get your breath and give your feet a rest – this track sound like something that Gary Moore might include in his repertoire, Next up is “One Step Forward” which sets a trap for the unwary listener – there’s a gentle intro that suddenly erupts into an up-tempo driving beat – Ian Salisbury finally comes into his own and provides some fantastic keyboard work, alongside the burning guitar of Bob Moore. Another contender for the best track! Things slow down again with the only cover version on the album – Lucky Peterson’s “Nothing But Smoke”. This is a great version of a great track, and I fell in love with it straight away – excellent late night blues, without a doubt. Ths CD closes out with a boogie beat “I don’t Know” followed by a slower “Long Ride”. This is a superb follow up album and one that is well worth adding to any blues collection. Terry Clear |
