“Gotta Get Me Some” abandons the brutal four-on-the-floor Nickelback signature in favor of an actual groove and the group even sounds nimble on its power ballads. True, this signature sound still underpins much of Here and Now, but the group is now loose enough to throw in a disco-rock thumper (“Kiss It Goodbye,” another in a long line of anti-Hollywood, anti-plasticity anthems destined to be staples in Hollywood strip clubs) and even dabbles in a bit of power pop on “When We Stand Together,” giving it an actual swing, something unheard on previous Nickelback albums, and this isn’t an isolated incident. This doesn’t quite mean he’s left his misogyny behind - it lingers, infecting otherwise innocuous songs - but it does mean that Nickelback no longer rely solely on heavy-footed power chords set to lumbering rhythms. Chad Kroeger’s brow is no longer furrowed, treating rock & roll as an ordeal he’s stepped back a bit, allowing himself to have a good time. Left to their own devices on Here and Now, Nickelback have done the unthinkable: they’ve embraced who they are.
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