I Love Nickelback And I Don’t Care Who Knows It

What happens when some bit of entertainment that you really love, is trashed by critics, the press, the high and mighty consumers who love to belittle anything that sells a lot of copies? Well, if you’re me, you say you love it anyway and risk ridicule.

I recall the day my brother and I were talking on the phone about a movie we had both just seen. “It was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen”, said I. “I just saw one of the best movies I’ve ever seen”, said my brother. And we were both talking about the Cruise/Kidman stinker – or classic – Far And Away.

I will always be grateful to Ripkin on the old 640 for introducing me to Nickelback. How You Remind Me became a smash hit and now their third CD is out, called All The Right Reasons. I love this album, every single cut. There isn’t a skipper in the bunch. It’s the only album whose entirety I have truly loved since Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind.

All The Right Reasons builds on the band’s earlier sound and refines and perfects it, and, well, that’s the kiss of death in the critics’ eyes. They’d rather heap praise on Mariah Carey for screeching out a hundred extra notes per song than appreciate the simplicity of the Nickelback album. It makes me drive a little faster, feel a little younger and sing a little louder. It’s my driving CD du jour. I would have asked them to reconsider the cheesy cover photos, but other than that, I think it’s excellent. You’re allowed 3 burns of All The Right Reasons and I’m thinking of making a copy for my brother, just to see what he thinks.