In Brief

* * 1/2 Nickelback, “Silver Side Up,” Roadrunner. Like melodic rockers Creed and Live, this Canadian band is heavy on stick-in-your-head hooks and harmonies, which could easily result in more than a few radio hits in the U.S. The polished grunge on this sophomore release may lack originality, but its earnestness (most effective on the slower singles such as “How You Remind Me” and “Good Times Gone”) is almost engaging enough to transcend its shortcomings.

*

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.