Nickelback – Here and Now (2011)
Canada’s über successful rock band, Nickelback is back with their seventh album, Here and Now. With two great albums back to back in All The Right Reasons and Dark Horse, Nickelback is making it harder and harder on themselves to top their previous works.
When I first heard the single “When We Stand Together”, I thought it was a pretty cool tune, but I was kind of fearful, that Here and Now may be a little more on the mellow side. As it turns out, the album is pretty well-balanced with some heavy rockers, and a few mellow numbers. The album is a little on the short side, as it clocks in just shy of 40 minutes.
The album starts off right with an excellent heavy rocker “This Means War”. This is easily one of the best songs on Here and Now. “Bottoms Up” on the other hand, didn’t really do anything for me. This party anthem is a little too grungy for my taste.
“Midnight Queen” is a crunchy up tempo rocker that does not disappoint. This catchy tune might be one of my all time favorite Nickelback tunes.
You won’t need too many guesses to know what the song “Gotta Get Me Some” is about. This sleazy number has some cool riffs, but I don’t care for this song very much.
“Lullaby” starts off with a keyboard sound that is more akin to U2 than Nickelback. This mellow tune will likely get tons of plays on the radio, but it isn’t my cup of tea.
“Kiss It Goodbye” is another rocker that didn’t really excite me very much. It is just an o.k. tune that is a little too grungy in my opinion.
“Trying Not To Love You” is another slower tune, but unlike “Lullaby”, this one is pretty good. I like this one a lot better, and I think it has “hit” written all over it. “Holding On To Heaven” is a low to mid tempo number that is growing on me after multiple plays. This song could be a possible sleeper hit for Nickelback.
Here and Now desperately needed a cool rocker at this stage of the game. “Everything I Wanna Do” is a mid tempo tune that has some big riffs, but just falls flat.
I was hopeful that the album close out strong, and while the song “Don’t Ever Let it End” is a good tune, I was hoping for a little more.
Does Here and Now surpass Dark Horse or All The Right Reasons? No, not by a longshot. It is definitely above average, and is a CD most Nickelback fans will enjoy. You can purchase Here and Now at this link.
Best Songs: “This Means War”, “When We Stand Together” and “Midnight Queen”
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
01. This Means War
02. Bottoms Up
03. When We Stand Together
04. Midnight Queen
05. Gotta Get Me Some
06. Lullaby
07. Kiss It Goodbye
08. Trying Not To Love You
09. Holding On To Heaven
10. Everything I Wanna Do
11. Don’t Ever Let It End
Nickelback is:
Chad Kroeger – Vocals, Lead and Rhythm Guitar
Ryan Peake – Guitars, background vocals
Mike Kroeger – Bass
Daniel Adair – Drums, backing vocals
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