Some albums just hit you right between the head and ears right out of the gate, with Song Number One. Former does that, for sure. Lead off track "Lies", the first song in the samples below, is so magnetically inviting of repeat plays, it leaves you breathless and reaching for that rare, limited edition air guitar. Great hard rocking power pop. Much of the material reminds me of Bleu(a whole lot!) and Cheap Trick. "This Nashville band describes their music as "loud pop", and I can`t disagree. High-energy rock/pop that recalls Swirl 360, Steve Bertrand`s Avion, and Rob Bonfligio in spots, Former is truly worth checking out." - Absolute Power Pop blog. fORMER call themselves `loud pop` and, yes, indeed, they are. And a good, very good thing that is. Rising from the ashes of several defunct Nashville acts, and seemingly dominated by former members of this or that band, the moniker was at first intended to be a lighthearted stop-gap, but when a more fitting handle failed to materialize, and realizing that The Beatles and Aerosmith were already spoken for, the decision was made to accept the christening of fORMER as something more than an inside joke.
With the hard part out of the way, the songs took precedent, and primary songwriter and frontman Denny Smith`s penchant for wrapping introspective; if slightly cryptic, lyrics around unforgettable melodies became the band`s calling card. Pop hooks backed with a wall of guitars, a powerhouse rhythm section, three-part vocal harmonies, and just enough ivories and strings to earn their ELO merit badge, has proven to be a potent combination that may not always march in step with what passes for contemporary modern rock, but that`s one "problem" the band loses little sleep over. Extremely Highly Recommended!
 Song #1 - mp3
Song #2 - mp3
Song #3 - mp3
Song #4 - mp3
Song #5 - mp3
Song #6 - mp3 | 
