We’ve got the fun, mahn. High Hopes Band latest album Forever Love is an enjoyable journey through a few different takes on the possibilities in reggae music. These recent winners of the New England Music Awards for Best In State: Massachusetts show why they are popular with other musicians as well as popular with mass audiences in New England.
The album opens with “Thinking About.” A down tempo sprawl, it has an irresistible scratchy guitar riff and a low end line that gives the singer a lot of space to emit his island cool vibe. A lead guitar phrase unfurls, skitters around the beat with a stand up musical voice and verve. It’s how these parts mesh with the sublimated but persistent drum work and low key organ line that give this song a full bodied feeling that keeps one listening.
“Brown Rice” changes the feeling with its mid-tempo, bumpy bass groove. Here, the lead vocalist sustains his voice with a rich, pop flair. He spreads it nice and smooth over the rhythm section and it’s infectious as hell. It’s the kind of voice one could spend a lot of time listening to for its glowing positive vibe.
On “Green Highway” the vocal gets darker, crisper as an organ gives off an eerie tone, emitting a sense of danger. One organ soon skitters along to a compact island beat while the first organ continues its shadowy glide. The combination of instruments here works wonders at creating a feeling and a mood. One can feel and picture the sense of travel that the band conjures on their “green highway.”
“Judgment” rocks a bit harder. The drums smack home the beat while the low end bumps it forward. While the lead vocal emits the vibe of the song, a lead guitar phrase snakes its way around with determined pluck. The voice here is particularly pleasant, giving off a warm island vibe while calling into question where certain people are going to hide when their time of judgment comes. This theme is majestically buttressed by a lead guitar line that mirrors the vibe so well that it feels like a question mark staring back at the listener.
By this point in their album, it‘s clear that High Hopes have a fantastic way of putting a song together. They don‘t follow a recipe as much as they just try to make things sound tasty. “So Good” has a pushy beat and muscular groove that makes this down tempo track move with a self-ordained authority. This tune will make any listener feel “so good” because of the sense of security coming from the rhythm section and the joyful bounce in the vocal melody line. This song can make one feel like packing everything up and moving to the islands.
“Sucka” features a wave of keyboard groove that tugs at the listener’s ear. From there, the band pushes it all forward with their muscular rhythm section punctuating this number with fierce underpinnings. Aside from all that, this song could get everyone in the dancehall onto their feet with its grand celebratory cheer.
The band take it low key for “In Limbo,” a dreamy vocal coloring the soundscape well. The vocal rides the groove as smooth as magic carpet while numerous nuanced touches from the instrumentalists create a gently cushion below. “Tell Me” pulls the listener back into the band’s mid-tempo island charm. The lead vocal is full of character and he lets his rich timbre carry much of his message. “Music is everything” he sings and he makes you believe it or want to believe it.
Title track “Forever Love” utilizes primitive drum work to make an engaging intro. A keyboard line tickles the ear with its fuzzy charm and other little nuances surround the lead vocal with an enticing sound. Hearing such a beautiful voice croon about “forever love” is certainly a great sentiment, especially while the players wrap it in something special, little drips of notes that shine like “the sun in the sky.”
High Hopes close out their Forever Love album with a tune titled “In This Lover’s Rock.” The groove makes this number hop merrily along. A bounce in the rhythmic step keeps this piece elevated, like a big balloon no one in the crowd will let hit the ground.
High Hopes offer on this Forever Love album a fine calling card for people looking for particularly good reggae bands to check out. The band conjures a happy go lucky party vibe with this album and it is highly recommended to anyone who needs something to brighten the day.
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