2003 triple platinum selling fourth studio album from the Canadian rock band fronted by Chad Kroeger. It was produced by the band along with Joey Moi (Jake Owen, Florida Georgia Line). Singles released from the album include:"Someday", "Figured You Out", "Feelin' Way Too Damn Good", "Because of You" & "See You at the Show". Nickelback are one the biggest rock bands in the world with a proven track record that certainly speaks to the group's stature. The group has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and, since the 2001 breakthrough of "How You Remind Me," has sent more than 18 singles rocketing onto the various Billboard charts, expanding it's solid foothold in rock markets to the Top 40 world.
Thanks to their smash number one hit "How You Remind Me," Nickelback became the poster boys for neo-grunge in 2001. Throughout that year and into the next, the band and its lead singer Chad Kroeger were omnipresent as they peddled their cleaned-up, streamlined amalgam of Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam. Those three bands were unpredictable and, in various ways, shunned success when they received it. Nickelback courts it through their audience-pleasing grunge pastiche, which treats the style as just another variation of hard rock. Of course, on the surface grunge was just modern hard rock, but upon further inspection it was an interesting, unruly beast, fueled by genuine passion and angst, which is why each band had a distinct sound and a different way of fleeing from the scene when it all became too much. 2003's The Long Road, the follow-up to their 2001 breakthrough, Silver Side Up, suggests that they really are just heavy-rock hucksters. After all, this is an album that ends with "See You at the Show," the neo-grunge "We're an American Band" that invites their audience to come along on the Nickelback bus and party down it. Perhaps a flat-out party song would have been a welcome change of pace, but it, like every other song here, is performed in the band's inimitable style -- loose rhythms, distorted guitars, power harmonies, and topped off by Kroeger's gruff vocals. It's the same sound as Silver Side Up, but it's a little bit more professional and polished, which does have the neat trick of sanding down some of Nickelback's more strident tendencies, leaving behind a sleek album of theatrical angst. So, Nickelback is more palatable here. The set-closer, "See You at the Show," offers a slight change of pace. With a little more time in the studio and a little more time to indulge themselves, Nickelback can now afford to turn out a more polished effort. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
