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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Nickelback

  • Single Life: Nickelback, Brandy, Fall Out Boy, 50 Cent

    Nickelback “Gotta Be Somebody”

    Surprise-I’m not a Nickelback hater. I can think of 4 or 5 songs by them worthy of appearing on my iPod. Not sure if this is one of ’em though. Chad and company have flirted with a poppier, dancier sound before-I mean, Chad’s Santana duet from last year was pretty much a dance record. This song definitely has “hit single” written all over it. Unfortunately, it’s not that “wow, this is catchy” hit single vibe, it’s more of that cold, calculated hit single vibe. Plus, I wish Chad Kroeger didn’t always sound like he was straining on the toilet. Grade: C


    Brandy “Right Here (Departed)

    Guess what? Brandy’s back! Hey, if her talentless little brother can score a Top 5 hit in ’08, why can’t she? This song reunites her with Rodney Jerkins, who produced “The Boy is Mine” and several other Brandy hits, and it does have a little of that “Boy is Mine” bounce. Brandy’s voice sounds stronger than ever, and she looks good in the video, too. Going with the inspirational theme of the song, the clip shows Brandy as sort of a healing angel. It’s pretty interesting, and the song is solid enough to make some noise, although I don’t know if it’s “hood” enough for urban radio. Grade: B+

    Fall Out Boy “I Don’t Care”

    I could spend hours watching this video. Say what you want about Patrick Stump and Pete Wentz, but these guys know how to write a hook AND they know how to make a video. Although “I Don’t Care” sounds a little too much like Pink’s “So What” for my tastes, the video elevates it from a catchy yet derivative tune into a concentrated pile of awesome. Check out cameos from the likes of Pharrell Williams (who will appear in YOUR video for 50 cents and a lollipop), Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, and others, and watch out for an ending that should elicit at least a snicker. Grade: Video: A; Single: B

    50 Cent “Get Up”
    Not that it surprises me or anything, but our man Fiddy is suffering from severe artistic arrested development. “Get Up” is catchy yeah, but Curtis has been down this road with both “In Da Club” and “Disco Inferno”. This sounds like a Dre production-can’t tell whether it is, but it’s in the same vein as Dre’s seriously lukewarm production over the past two or three years (see-Jay-Z’s “Kingdom Come”). If you really want to know the difference between 50 Cent and Kanye West (even if you don’t like their music), Kanye goes out of his way to push the envelope, while 50 is content to recycle the same hitmaking formula over and over, thinking it will bring forth the same return. Grade: C-

  • High School Musical-Something Like A Phenomenon?

    So, everyone knows about record sales being in the crapper…yadayadayada.
    But the fact is…people are still running in to buy certain things. It’s just that phenomenons are fewer and further between.
    This week, the High School Musical 2 Soundtrack marks it’s fourth consecutive week on top of Billboard’s Album Chart, with sales at a very healthy 170,000 copies. It’s sold nearly 1.5 million copies in four weeks. This comes after the soundtrack to the first movie sold over 4 million copies and was the top selling album (not soundtrack, mind you…over all album) of 2006.
    It’s still in the Top 40 18 months later.
    Me, I’m not a Disney channel watcher. I can’t vouch for why this is so successful, especially in light of failed past Disney projects (anyone old enough to remember The Party back in the early Nineties?) AND the fact that albums by members of HSM’s cast have either underwhelmed or flopped miserably (Vanessa Hudgens is the only cast member to go Gold on her own). It might be because it’s a family movie and a family soundtrack, and the best-selling albums historically have been albums the entire family can listen to…or at least are kid-friendly (see: Carrie Underwood, Nickelback, et. al.).
    Of course, there might be a little extra hubbub nowadays since the news popped about the nudie pictures of Ms. Hudgens. The fact that the news appeared not to affect sales at all speaks to how trivial the whole deal is (she’s 19…get real people!). My main curiosity is…how long is this juggernaut going to last? And how long is Disney going to continue to milk this? Because if these albums continue to sell, I can see High School Musical: The 10-Year Reunion coming to a store near you in 2016.
    Here are this week’s Top Ten albums (courtesy of Billboard Communications)
    1. High School Musical 2 Soundtrack: Various Artists
    2. The Dutchess: Fergie
    3. Hannah Montana 2 Soundtrack: Meet Miley Cyrus: Miley Cyrus
    4. The Altar & The Door: Casting Crowns
    5. Bone Palace Ballet: Chiodos
    6. Hairspray Soundtrack: Various Artists
    7. Now That’s What I Call Music 25: Various Artists
    8. All The Right Reasons: Nickelback
    9. Back To Black: Amy Winehouse
    10. Minutes To Midnight: Linkin Park