Hey, Hey I Wanna Be A Rockstar! (All The Right Reasons - Nickelback)

Member Name: jeffjen

Product:	All The Right Reasons - Nickelback
Date:	13/05/09 (93 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some good, strong tracks

Disadvantages: Rockstar is infuriatingly catchy!

When I first heard 'How You Remind Me' a few years back, I really liked it and it remains one of my favourite songs. Liking the song so much prompted me to buy Nickelback's albums, and while I have liked them all, they are not 'favourite' albums of mine. I just tend to play my favourite couple of tracks from them and that's it.

However, that all changed with the release of their fifth album 'All The Right Reasons', as this album, in my opinion, is their best.
It is the first album with their new drummer, Daniel Adair, following the departure of Ryan Vikedal, and he does a great job with heavier drum usage, along with the distinctive rock voice of Chad Kroeger, and heavy guitar riffs.

I actually saw Nickelback live, as they supported Bon Jovi a couple of years ago, and I was very impressed. They played a number of tracks from this album, and it was after hearing these I bought this album.

The tracks :-
Follow You Home
Fight For All The Right Reasons
Photograph
Animals
Savin' Me
Far Away
Next Contestant
Side Of A Bullet
If Everyone Cared
Someone That You're With
Rockstar

Five singles have been taken from the album : Photograph, Savin' Me. Far Away, If Everyone Cared, and the very catchy and popular 'Rockstar', which has been the band's most successful UK single, just missing out on the number one spot in the charts.

There is a mixture of slow and heavier tracks on this album, the slower tracks mostly being the single releases, the other tracks are heavier, especially 'Someone That You're With', 'Follow You Home' and 'Fight For All The Right Reasons'.
I think my favourite track overall is 'If Everyone Cared' which has a heavy drum sound, good guitar riff, and a memorable chorus, but not as cheesy as 'Rockstar', which is my least favourite track on the album, mainly because I got sick of hearing it all the time on the radio and music channels on TV, but also because it just isn't typical of their work, and nothing like my favourite tracks by them. Funny how it has been their biggest hit. I find it infuriatingly catchy, if you know what I mean!

The album is dedicated to Pantera guitarist Darrell 'Dimebag' Abbott who was murdered onstage, and the track 'Side Of A Bullet' was written about him. "How could you take his life away? How could you be so full of hate? And when I heard you let him die, and made the world all wonder why. I sat at home, and on my own. I cried alone".

Amongst all the angst and emotional anguish which is scattered throughout the tracks, there are some lighter lyrics, and apart from the humorous and cynical 'Rockstar' is 'Photograph' which sees singer and lyricist Chad Kroger recalling his school days - "Look at this photograph. Every time I do it makes me laugh. How did our eyes get so red? And what is that on Joey's head?"
The track 'Animals' refers to being caught 'at it' with your girlfriend in the car, by her father!

'All The Right Reasons' peaked at 13 in the album chart when first released in the UK, but enjoyed a re-entry following the success of 'Rockstar', reaching number 2 in the album chart and went Platinum. In America, the album remained in the top 30 for 100 weeks.

Overall, it certainly doesn't disappoint me in any way and is easily their best album to date. There are plenty of good tracks which is 'the right reason' to buy it!

All The Right Reasons is available to buy new on Amazon for £4.98, or used from £3.46.

Summary: Their best album to date