Nickelback's New Track Is Nice...To a Point

If you can get past all the nursery rhyme references found in Nickelback's latest single "Must Be Nice", culled from the Canadian band's hot off the presses effort "Feed The Machine", then you'll be able to rock out like nobody's business. Chad Kroeger, the guy many rock purists love to hate, still has that raspy voice of his in top form. Why he'd let himself be coaxed into singing a warped version of the Humpty Dumpty story, as medically accurate as it might be is anybody's guess. Wave enough dollar bills in front of him and he might spend all the studio time belching into the microphone but, I digress. The man has a following that's likely going to hang on his every word here simply because subtlety isn't something deeply desired by Nickelback's core audience. Give 'em some choice guitar licks and the throngs will go nuts. The solo at the bridge certainly gets into the mouth watering end of the music appreciation spectrum. Along with chocolate and pizza that brand of macho posturing constitutes one of Earth's divine delights. Daniel Adair drums out a sold performance without overstaying his welcome. The point Chad's trying to make in the lyrics is that there's this female he knows who hasn't failed at anything in her whole life. The reason? She's living in a fairy tale world so far removed from reality that it amounts to a slap in the face to the millions out there who haven't had it nearly that easy. I gotta know. Did Chad's ego tell him "Man I'm such a big star I could compose a hokey interpretation of classic children's stories and kindergartners everywhere would be begging their parents to buy it for them. Word from the wise, Chad. That's not your core audience that's pushed you to the level of arena filling international superstars. I'd be a little nicer to "Must Be Nice" if it wasn't being cute in a way that mocks what hard rock stands for. The musicianship hasn't missed a beat. If you're not one of Nickelback's haters you're going to find "Must Be Nice" highly satisfying. My only quibble with Nickelback's latest tune is that the band has been an irresistible force for a decade and a half now. It doesn't need to drum up attention by whipping up a corny if not novel concept. In the end "Must Be Nice" continues the proud band tradition of shoot from the hip hard rock tunes but getting back to naughtier themes is bound to keep it from alienating the large rabid fan base it already has.