Foreman and Co. - Highway 8

​Foreman and Co. 

​Highway 8
self-released; 2023 

 TOP ALBUM

​By ​Dino DiMuro

Calling themselves "Crafters of the finest quality songs, thoughts, and emotions" (the beer imagery is intentional), the band consists of Tom Foreman (vocals/guitar), Steve Larocque (bass), Matthew Remenda (guitar), Dave Luker (drums), and Brooke Fullerton (keys/vocals). They’ve been known to shoehorn banjo, slide, accordion, and pedal steel into their songs. Occasionally they play live sets on a dock with their listeners floating around below them.

Foreman and Co. are not shy about their influences. One favorite review quote is that they "write like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen but sound like Skynyrd and Bon Scott-era AC/DC." They also namecheck Wilco, Blackberry Smoke, and Steve Earle for Americans, and Tragically Hip and Blue Rodeo for Canadians. Finally, they have a kind of Mission Statement: "We write songs that make you want to sing along at the top of your lungs while on a major road trip with your best buddies, and probably have a beer somewhere too." Clearly, they really love beer, as their Facebook page has as many portraits of brew cans as band members.

For a group known for playing live, "Dirty Kind Of Love" starts us off with a wild slapback beat that could only be made in a studio, like a robotic heartbeat crossed with a stopwatch. The guitars kick in with a riff similar to Free’s "All Right Now." Having heard the album through, I can tell you the power and cohesion of the band’s guitars along with Fullerton’s keyboards is no accident. The lead singer (I’m guessing it’s Tom Foreman) has gritty, down-home authenticity. This song’s a solid, steady rocker mainly set apart by its cool vocals and arrangement. "You gotta play the hand you’re given when they’re dealing out them cards." Amen!

"So Happy" is not the first track but happened to be the song my Spotify began playing, and it’s a killer. Roaring in with a tempo and vocal arrangement very close to R.E.M.’s "It’s The End Of The World As We Know It," this track swaps out the lone lead singer for a bright, bursting chorus of radiant voices that really do make you happy. Not for the last time on this album, the band shifts into a modified reggae beat for the final third while they chant along. "She’s In The Wind" is another classic rocker with the full-fisted vocal bravado of Bob Seger.

"South Grand Canyon State" is sort of the title track. I happened to be playing this song while driving in the desert, and it’s perfect for the open road ("Highway 8, South Grand Canyon state / Leaving California behind… The deserts don’t have many things to say"). The gentle guitars, lap steel, and sweet harmonies make this a country rock classic very much of the Jimmy Webb school ("Wichita Lineman"). There’s a really sweet, understated lead guitar solo supported by Fullerton’s organ and harmony vocals. "Front Porch" is a slower song but works as a Part Two of the previous track, where the narrator turns his car around and camps out on his lost love’s porch. A perfect follow-up!

"Bipolar Girl" is a kind of showcase for keyboardist Brooke Fullerton, starting with just piano and her own sweet vocal turn. It quickly turns into another frenetic rocker, and I was so surprised by the change of vocalists that I had to check if this was the same album. If I were to make any suggestions, it would be to get Fullerton on the lead mic more often! The song itself is absolutely hit material. This is also the second song to shift into reggae mode toward the end.

Aside from the aforementioned tracks, "Fix You Fix Me" is a true standout. Framed with acoustics and piano, the lead vocal is hushed and chastened, dealing with the shards of a broken relationship (or is it a whole life?). Perhaps this is my own imagination but the title could also refer to a couple addicted to dope, taking turns supplying the "fix" to each other. Maybe that’s too dramatic but the emotional stakes seem just as high. However you hear it, it’s an emotionally devastating track.

​Well folks, I’m truly happy to have stumbled onto this awesome band and hope they continue making great music well into the future. Check them out and you’ll be glad you did!

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reverbnation.com/foremanandco/album/312819-highway-8

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