Album review: Nickelback's 'Dark Horse'

Nickelback is a lot of things, but dark horse is no longer one of them. The Canadian hard rock quartet said goodbye to that status when 2001's "Silver Side Up" album took the band into multi-platinum territory. The group's follow-up to its 7-million selling "All the Right Reasons" from three years ago is every bit as catchy, with lots more shredding guitar licks planted strategically within hooky rock songs full of bad boys with hearts of gold.

The addition of superstar producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange to the mix ensures that everything here is as radio friendly and mainstream minded as heavy guitar rock gets. If David Cook were an "American Idol" contestant instead of this year's winner, odds are he'd ditch the Switchfoot covers for more Nickelback.

But not "Something in Your Mouth" or "Shakin' Hands," showpieces for more of the band's signature lasciviousness. "Something" objectifies a hottie in a pink thong -- "the honey with a million-dollar body" -- while "Shakin' Hands" celebrates a starlet who "didn't make it this far by just shakin' hands." Illuminating it ain't. But love those gnarly guitar riffs.

It's not that lead singer-shrieker Chad Kroeger and his buds aren't sensitive too. "Gotta Be Somebody" cracks open a window on loneliness as he pines for someone to care for his neglected heart. "There's gotta be somebody for me like that." As long, presumably, as she also looks good in a pink thong.

Lange may have lost it on the home front, but he's still got the magic touch in the recording studio, knowing exactly when a band like this should crank it to 11, when to drop back or out entirely for some welcome sonic space missing from too many hard-edged bands' records.

"If Today Was Your Last Day" brings the requisite party dude's skin-deep philosophizing, but "This Afternoon" closes the album on a refreshingly loose and bouncy slice of pop-rock revelry where there's not a hottie or hooker in sight.

Nickelback ought to spend more time in this part of the day.

--Randy Lewis

Nickelback
"Dark Horse"
(Roadrunner)
Two stars

Comments

[Garret Wilkinson]

The album is very weird. Nickelback has definately taken to a different level of music. I'm mainly speaking about the added elements that have not been used in previous albums, This album is invaded with power ballads that definately are very listenable, but leaves you wanting more hard driven songs like Something in your mouth, Burn it to the ground, and next go around. You also at the same time see Nickelback getting back to their old old pre recoerd label routes of country rock. It's obvious that "Mutt Lange" who is a producer acredited to huge sucess with such acts as Shania Twain and Def Leopard definately had some strong country influence on tracks such as "In the Afternoon", Something in your mouth and Shakin hands.
I think that Nickelback is taking to a more pop route and getting away from Rock. I for one admore the band for changing their sound and beating the same drum every album, but I do hope in future albums that they restore the balance between the "power ballads" and the hard driven in your face meat and potatoes Hard rock.

Album rating: 7.5/10

[Matt Thorne]

nickelback have hit the top with there previous songs but the thing is dark horse i think shows there true potiental it brings rock to life. like rockstar chavs started to like them its not there type so i think this new album will show chavs that rock is so much better than chavy crap. so to clarify NICKELBACKS NEW ALBUM IS THE BEST ONE THEY HAVE DONE

[Carolynn]

I am hoping this album will grow on me the more I listen to it but so far it really has left me with a wtf? feeling. The "harder" songs on the album seem to be a too obvious attempt to keep up with the bands tongue-in-cheek sexual inuendos (i.e: "Figured You Out", "Animals.")

The slower songs are nice, very poppy and radio friendly. I always love Chad's lyrics and really like the ones he penned for "Just to Get High."

I'm a die hard long time Nickelback fan who was so eagerly awaiting the release of this album. I hope in a few weeks when I have listened to it thoroughly and get used to all the songs, I'll want to rewrite this review.

[mike]

i for one love the new album....especially Something In Your Mouth, "Burn It to The Ground", Just To Get High, Shakin Hands, and This Afternoon.

if i had to pick one favorite though, it would be Shakin Hands, i cant stop listenin to it

overall i think this is a great new album to continue the success of the band!

[Peter]

It's obvious why Randy Lewis is a music critic and not a music publisher, he couldn't pick a best seller if it popped up in his cereal.
Got the album and am really enjoying it, Nickelback know their market and am sure will be earning more moolah than good ole Randy.

[MK]

Dark Horse was good. Not as good as their last album, but a great addition to the band.

[NigNag]

Dark Horse rocks, especially Shakin Hands!

[ccam17]

Once again nickelback has always done something to bring me back to loving there albums.
silver side up it was the all catchy "how you remind me"

The long road " figured you out"

all the right reasons was " animal"

and now we have darkhoarse. This album is most defintly there best so far.
They have everything that a great album should, whether it is a hard hitting rock song, a meaningfull balod or a party song that everybody can shout out and drink to.

[aliciaarol]

The amazing thing about all of Chad’s albums is that he vacillates from writing songs like “Burn It To The Ground” and “SEX” and “Next Go Round” to writing angst ridden songs like “Savin Me” & “Are we having fun yet?”-to writing puppy dog, heart wrenching ballads like, “You’re never gonna be alone” & “If everyone Cared” This is called having multi-faceted, COMPLEXITY-people!***Nobody will ever figure out who the REAL Chad Kroeger is…