By John Garces/entertainment editor
The latest release from Nickelback, Dark Horse, offers more of what fans of the Canadian rock band will enjoy while sticking to a basic rock ’n’ roll formula in the process.
Even with an abundance of fame, the Chad Kroeger-fronted band is also the subject of venom from those who don’t like its music.
This record won’t do anything to change that perception either.
Throughout most of the album, Kroeger and his distinctive voice use songs to objectify women and glorify or decry drug use. The band is at its best when it records the kind of pop music crossovers that drive fans crazy.
The first single off the record, “Gotta Be Somebody,” manages to keep a little bit of that hard edge while still appealing to the band’s main demographic.
Other songs like “Never Gonna Be Alone” live up to the power ballad traditions of rock albums while “If Today Was Your Last Day” urges the listener to live life to its fullest.
Like most rock albums, the record will appeal to the band’s established fan base and will likely continue to turn off those who revile the act.
But fans of the music Nickelback performs will likely enjoy Dark Horse.