Album Review: Nickelback's Here and Now

Nickelback's "Here and Now"

Nickelback is one of my most favorite bands. I take a lot of crap for liking them too. People everywhere have nothing but bad things to say about them. Well, guess what? I. Don't. Care. Detroit's online petition to have Nickelback NOT perform at the Thankgiving game against Green Bay? Laughable. It's true. People can say what they want to say, but I think Nickelback's album and concert sales speak for themselves.
This is their 7th album and I think it is what Nickelback fans have come to expect. The album is a combination of hard rock, rock ballads, and their typical pop songs that will probably be released on the radio. Most of Nickelback's pop music, I don't like. "How You Remind Me", "Photograph", and all their socially concious songs i.e. "If Everyone Cared", "If Today Was Your Last Day", and "When We Stand Together" are in my opinion the songs Nickelback releases to get pop hits. What I like about Nickelback is their hard rock. I fell in love with their "All The Right Reasons" album after hearing "Follow You Home", "All The Wrong Reasons", and "Next Contestant". My favorites on the "Dark Horse" album are the hardest hitting, "Burn It To The Ground", "Something In Your Mouth", and "Shakin' Hands". This latest album is no different for me.
The album opens with what is probably my new favorite song, "This Means War". I love, love, love the punch it packs. My next favorite on the album is definitely "Kiss It Goodbye", a hard rock anthem exploring the difference between the East and West Coasts. This album also has the typical Nickelback ballads and slow songs. I find that I actually like "Lullaby", a song that speaks to anyone going through a rough time. The song on the album that I think is most likely to be a pop hit is either "Lullaby" or "Don't Ever Let It End". "Don't Ever Let It End" I also surprisingly like. The lyrics are sweet and Chad's voice flows melodically on it.
All in all, it is a good album. Nothing has really taken the place as my favorite as "All The Right Reasons", but if you like Nickelback, you will like this album.