Review Summary: Well, were you really expecting something better?
If you are in search of a prime example of what is wrong with the music industry and society as a whole, well then, look no further my friend for you have stumbled upon the bane of society. This album is possibly Nickelback at their worst. There are virtually no redeeming qualities to be found on this record and it is wholly a shame to rock music. Chad Kroeger is weak on vocals and at times on this album he sounds like he is trying to imitate a Disney pop “star”. As the old, cliché adage goes, “You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”, when you try to write a record appealing to crackheads, prostitutes, binge drinkers, potheads, hard rock fans, pop fans, and the casual radio fan, odds are, you will fail, and you will fail miserably, just as this album does.
It’s hard to even find a place to start with this “album” so let’s just take it from the beginning. “Something in Your Mouth” is a corny, borderline creepy, misogynistic track to open up this drunken stupor of an album. This song is an example of Chad Kroeger trying too hard to be edgy and sexual. With lines such as, “…tease them all by sucking on your thumb”, Kroeger isn’t even conjuring up sexy images, it’s more like an awkward sexual encounter with a gym teacher. If you make it past the opening track, which is no easy task, the second song, “Burn It to the Ground”, is just a tease. The intro is surprisingly catchy and promising, but then Chad has to open his mouth and ruin it for everybody. This song slowly degenerates into a ramble about excessive partying and burning the world down, you know common, everyday stuff the people can relate to. The song lacks an overall cohesiveness, which is a testament to the album as a whole.
Speaking of zero cohesion, along comes the third track on this fiesta from hell, “Gotta Be Somebody”. This song just flat out sucks, honestly, even speaking from an objective point of view, this song is just bad. It brings to mind other “bands” such as the Jonas Brothers and it makes absolutely no sense after the tone of the opening two tracks. Nickelback displays their tendency to try much too hard to sell an album yet again. The fourth track is in the same vein as the third and not even really worth mentioning, just another failed stab at a poppy ballad from the Kings of Disappointment. And then there’s track number five, “Next Go Round”…
With track five, the album suddenly takes a turn back towards hard rock where it started, only this song is worse than the opening tracks (say it isn’t so!!). “Next Go Round” is an awkward sexual anthem which, surprisingly, fits in quite well with this album which is just chock full of Kroeger’s bizarre sexual tangents. This song, in particular, features the sexy, sensual line of, “I wanna go so long, your parents think you’ve died, they’re gonna call the cops, the CIA, and then the FBI.” That’s just classy songwriting from the true masters of the art…
It is quite possible to rant negatively about this album for hours, but then, of course, where would the objectivity and legitimacy be? No, no, as much fun as it is to bash Nickelback (and there is oh so very much to bash) this album must be viewed from both sides of the spectrum. For starters, most of the album features pretty decent instrumentation, of course this is relative to the quality of the vocals and actual songwriting, but these guys can play their instruments pretty darn well when it comes down to it. Also, as hard as it is to say, there are a couple of decent songs which can be found if you’re willing to sift through this pile of musical wreckage. “Just to Get High” and “If Today Was Your Last Day” actual cover some legitimate topics with their lyrics, but of course, in the traditional Nickelback fashion, they end up being a corny faux pas of a meaningful rock song. “Just to Get High” is surprisingly enjoyable until you get to the awkwardly placed guitar solo about two-thirds of the way through. “If Today…” has probably become the most whored song on this album and it’s almost a shame because it is truly one of the better songs on here, but at the end of the day it’s become just another hackneyed mainstream rock anthem (damn you, radio!!).
To be completely honest, this album isn’t really a disappointment because it is everything Nickelback strives to be, sexually charged (in an often awkward fashion), commercially successful, mainstream, and cliché. This album, and this band for that matter, is nothing too special but it makes sense. It’s a mainstream rock album. It’s focused on sex, booze, and drugs, that’s what sells. It’s not original, but keep in mind that it is, after all, Nickelback, you may not like it, but this is what mainstream, radio-friendly rock has become.
