Nickelback
All the Right Reasons (2 stars)
Although Canadian rockers Nickelback are justly derided by critics, the band burst onto the scene with an undeniably classic pop song, the power ballad "How You Remind Me." The rest of Nickelback's career has been about reminding its audience of that song, which was played on the radio perhaps millions of times in the summer of 2001. Even people who haven't heard it since still can't get it out of their heads.
The band's latest album, All the Right Reasons, has one "Remind Me"-esque song, "Photograph," another catchy power ballad with dumb lyrics that get stuck in your head. It's an imitation at best, though, and an indication that the band hasn't developed beyond their biggest hit. The rest of the album demonstrates Nickelback's other, less endearing qualities, including their unoriginal guitar riffs, cringe-inducing misogynistic lyrics and singer Chad Kroeger's obnoxious bellow.
There's nothing quite as repugnant as the woman-hating "Figured You Out" from 2003's The Long Road, and "Someone That You're With" actually even flirts with creativity. But it's only a fleeting moment in what is otherwise another resounding testament to Nickelback's mediocrity.
Frontiers
Yousef & Behrouz (3 stars)
This two-disc set heralds the launch of a new series from Renaissance, the conceit being to pit one DJ from one country against another from a different land. In this case, we have San Francisco's Behrouz Nazari, a resident at Ruby Skye, vs. Yousef, who hails from Liverpool, England.
Renaissance missed a terrific chance here, where they could have forced the DJs to mix from the same source material. Instead, what we get are 30 tracks (unevenly divided into 17 from Yousef and 13 from Behrouz) only suitable for comparison in a general sense. You could slap in Tiesto and Van Burrin CDs on your stereo, listen and get the same result.
That said, Behrouz and Yousef acquit themselves well. Behrouz lays down some fresh house beats on most of his CD, and spins a haunting, hypnotic version of Luca Ricci and Monica Hernandez's "La Musica vs. El Dinero."
The more creative Yousef brings some unexpected but welcome jazz strains to his house, with some electric guitar overlaying the beats in Eddie and the Eggs' "A Cup of Coffee," and delivering a surprising melange throughout.
Big Star
In Space (2 stars)
"I never travel far without a little Big Star," the Replacements once proclaimed in song. They weren't the only fans of this Memphis band that in the early '70s released discs which few heard. But influence is a funny thing and Big Star's power pop—thanks to used-record bins, reissues and lots of fans passing tapes—paved the way for groups across the globe, from REM to Teenage Fanclub. So despite the death of singer-guitarist Chris Bell, the name was revived by vocalist Alex Chilton and drummer Jody Stephens, with the help of two members of Big Star disciples, the Posies.
Yet, in sound and feel, In Space is less the Beatlesesque pop of Big Star and more Chilton's solo discs from the '80s and his faux-funky singles such as "No Sex." However, this version of Big Star is still a far stronger band than Chilton has ever recorded with by himself, and In Space rewardingly avoids messy excess and ill-used arrangements.
But the greatness of Big Star was in the songwriting. Opener "Dony" truly does recall Big Star's heyday, as does "Lady Sweet," which follows. But In Space turns out to be disappointingly front-loaded, and a dearth of good songs makes this a disc that, in the end, is far better performed than written.