Album Review: Nickelback "Here And Now"
Cleverly, the Canadian rooted band Nickelback's latest upcoming release "Here And Now" is just that. Here and Now. You can jump on iTunes and stream the album for free until it's official release on November 21st. Now, I'll go ahead and get this out of the way before I say anything else. I'm among the many (including one Detroit Lions Fan who started a petition to ban the band from playing the NFL halftime show this coming Thanksgiving at the Detroit Lions v. Green Bay game) who think that Nickelback is a waste of music. Not. A. Fan. But I am a journalist, and as such I gave the album stream a listen for critique purposes.
The saddest part for me is that if it wasn't for Chad Kroeger's AWFUL voice and basic lyrics, Nickelback could actually be a good band. The rest of the band is really good, especially on "Here and Now." Musically, it's probably their strongest yet, although it's painfully obvious where they're almost "stealing" hooks from. The bass line from "This Means War" sounds strangely like the one from Megadeth’s "Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?" Doesn't mean I didn't dig the vibe though.
I digress.
It’s Nickelback, so there is plenty of cookie-cutter rocking about booze (Bottoms Up), the ladies (“She’s gonna be my midnight queen/She’s gonna lick my pistol clean/She’s gonna be my sex machine/She’s gonna climb all over me” from "Midnight Queen") and the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle (Gotta Get Me Some), drugs, fame and depravity (Kiss It Goodbye). So basically the same thing they always write about.
The single "When We Stand Together" is obviously written for the radio, but honestly it's not their worst song. Maybe it's because it hasn't been played out 80 billion times yet. (I'm not bitter.) It's cliche, it's not ground breaking and once you get past Kroeger's voice, it's listenable.
Rating:
3 out of 5 hearts
Stand Out Track:
"This Means War"
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