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"Nelly-Furtado" CD Cover Download

Amazon.com Review: There's a feeling you get when you put on an Anne Murray record, and--apologies in advance to all you anti-sentimentalists--it's best summarized by the vocal legend herself in the classic tune "I Just Fall in Love Again." You can't help yourself; you fall in love. Those who've been listening along swollen-heartedly since the 1970s know the feeling well, and those who are about to discover Murray via this duets album and its handful of younger-skewing songs--the Nelly Furtado team-up on "Daydream Believer" especially--are going to have a hard time not submitting. It's the tenderness that hooks you: Murray's deep, confident voice manages to be maternal without being claustrophobic, an effect magnified here by expert vocal partners like Carole King, Emmylou Harris, and Olivia Newton John. The few left-field choices--Indigo Girls, k.d. lang, a ghostly appearance by Dusty Springfield--aren't hard-left enough to muck up the mood. And the song selection doesn't strike a false note either: "Cotton Jenny" sounds as right on an Anne Murray CD as "You Needed Me." Which means that if you have a soft spot for Murray at all, even one that's not quite as cushy as it used to be, you should prepare to be sucked in. It happens every time, as the song goes. --Tammy La Gorce

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Nelly Furtado CD Cover Download

Amazon.com Review:

Album Description: In preparation for her new album, Loose, NELLY FURTADO tried out collaborations with a who's who of producers, and she tried to create a music more of the body than the mind. A prime example of the latter is first single "PROMISCUOUS," a duet with Loose producer TIMBALAND, known far and wide for his groundbreaking work with, among others, MISSY ELLIOTT, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and AALIYAH.

It stands to reason that gold and multiplatinum certifications (for 2003's Folklore and 2000's Whoa, Nelly!, respectively), a pair of Top 10 singles ("I'm Like a Bird" and "Turn Off the Light"), and a Grammy Award (for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance), to name just a few accomplishments, would afford a certain level of confidence. But nothing has inspired Furtado to throw caution to the wind more than motherhood. "Motherhood makes you fearless," she says. "The album is very youthful-sounding," Furtado continues, "and I think that's partly due to the presence of this two-year-old in my life. I was with her all day every day and then I'd go to the studio at night, and I think that translated into a playful energy I feel onstage but that hasn't really been heard on my records."

Starting with her longtime production team of Track & Field, she also knew she wanted to check out a variety of producers. "Working with new producers," she hazards, "is like trying on new clothes - you never know what you look good in until you try it on. And sometimes they will see something in you that neither you nor anyone else could see." So she traveled with her daughter from Toronto to London to work with NELLEE HOOPER; to Los Angeles to work with LESTER MENDEZ (who produced, "Te Busque," her moving duet with JUANES) and RICK NOWELS (co-writer and producer of the gorgeous ballad "In God's Hands"); and to Miami to work with PHARRELL WILLIAMS and SCOTT STORCH and finally, TIMBALAND.

Indeed, the raw, lighting-in-a-bottle spontaneity of the collaborative process is at the heart of Loose. "This record shows who I am in a jam-type environment, where I really feel the excitement of the creativity flowing," Furtado reveals. "It's who I am at my most artistic. I live for that, and I'm very grateful to be able to share it."The buzz for Nelly Furtado's Loose began before the music was even recorded, with the announcement that legendary hip-hop knob-twirler Timbaland (Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake) would act as co-producer. The question on fans' minds: what would it sound like when a hip-hop kingpin collaborated with an artist who culls inspiration not just from pop music, but also her own Portuguese roots?

As it turns out, Loose incorporates a number of different styles along its journey, but is--surprisingly--primarily divided between '80s-influenced electronica and latin-infused pop. This disc is very different from Furtado's previous CDs, a fact immediately evident from track one, the new wave-affected "Afraid." A strong opener, the song is the beginning of a 1-2-3 punch of uptempo, infectious dance floor beats. The second cut, "Maneater," also proves to be incredibly catchy, but the verses and keyboard sound too much like they were plucked from electroclash artist Peaches' tree, and originality is lost. The perfect summer pop song follows, the massive hit "Promiscuous," which features clever interplay between Furtado and Timbaland on their sassy duet. From that point, Loose oscillates between the Miami-affected sounds of R&B, Latino pop, and reggaeton ("Showtime," "Te Busque," and "No Hay Igual" respectively) and the aforementioned '80s vibe ("Glow," "Do It"). Fans will hear Furtado at her vocal best on "Say It Right" and "In God’s Hands"--two of the most lyrically compelling tracks on the disc. --Denise Sheppard

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Nelly Furtado CD Cover Download

Amazon.com Review:

Album Description: Japanese edition of the alterna-pop singer/songwriter's beguiling and charmingly eccentric 2000 album debut. Includes the infectious first single 'I'm Like a Bird' and two bonus tracks, 'Onde Estas' and 'Party' (Choroni Mix). Standard jewel case.Blame it on the bossa nova, but this chick has got soul. By filtering her Portuguese roots through the trip-hop she was weaned on, Nelly Furtado creates a hypnotic form of R&B/alternapop that at times sounds like Fiona Apple, Macy Gray, and Gwen Stefani all rolled into a Portishead song. Cutting her teeth at four Lilith Fair dates before even having a record contract, Furtado seems accelerated far beyond her 21 years. Listen, and you can hear the Portuguese fado tradition, Brazilian beats, flashy urban rhymes--enough snap, crackle, and pop to fill your breakfast bowl. Put your ear closer to the speaker, though, and you can sense that this is the sound of a multicultural young woman finding her own identity through all the pop she's been fed. If you're someone who likes to sing along to soaring vocals or who likes to get hip to a new star before she goes supernova, this is an album to own. --Heidi Sherman