The Bottom Line
After the 7 times platinum mega-release All the Right Reasons, the band Nickelback returns with a more muscular, pop-edged sound courtesy legendary producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The overall ambience is pleasing, but the song itself is just too standard-issue to generate a great deal of excitement.
Pros
- Muscular, pop-leaning sound
- Solid, catchy chorus
Cons
- Standard lyrics
Description
- Written by Nickelback and Chad Kroeger
- Produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Nickelback, and Joey Moi
- Released by Roadrunner Records September 2008
Guide Review - Nickelback - "Gotta Be Somebody"
Where do you go after your album sells around 7 million copies and stays at a lofty position in the charts for over a year? If you're Nickelback, you turn to a veteran producer to punch up your sound but otherwise stick to formula. Robert John "Mutt" Lange, veteran producer for acts ranging from Def Leppard to Shania Twain, took over the knob twisting duties here. His trademark big arena sound is a good match for Nickelback.
As "Gotta Be Somebody" kicks off, synth and ambient vocals are heard instead of simply guitar-rock crunch. The whole effect is to give Nickelback a shinier feel and a wider dynamic range. The results are good and make the chorus even catchier as a singalong, and this doesn't sound exactly like other Nickelback songs.
However, the major drawback of Nickelback is that so many of their songs ultimately are forgettable. The lyrics here are blandly reassuring that you don't have to experience loneliness forever. "Gotta Be Somebody" will please long-term fans, answer some critics who claim Nickelback songs are all the same, but ultimately you may forget the song soon after it fades from the charts.
