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"Nelly" 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

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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 CD Cover Download

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Album Description: Grammy award-winning artist Nelly breaks four years of silence with straight hand-to-mic combat on his fifth studio album Brass Knuckles.

The St. Louis rapper has sold 30 million albums to date -- and he's approaching his upcoming release with renewed intensity. "When you're the champion you have to psyche yourself into thinking you're the underdog, even if people don't see you as that," Nelly confesses. "Nobody going to give you anything, you got to work hard for what you want. You got to continue to press."

Nelly makes his statement in the form of brass-tacks vocal tracks, dance floor anthems and suggestive, seductive slow jams. A master at dynamic collaborations, he's assembled a cast of all-stars to collaborate including Usher, Pharrell, Akon, Ciara, Chuck D, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Ashanti, Avery Storm and the St. Lunatics. "When you hear the energy change, or the tempo switches to a nice flow, it means something," he says. Nelly shows his versatility spitting rhymes with deep, percussive flow, and then switching it up to sing over soulful hooks.

Party People: The first single, "Party People," pairs him with Fergie. It's a raucous attention getter, laying the foundation for what's to come - the party is in full swing. "People wonder why I keep the clubs jamming. You can't make a club song if you don't go to the clubs. People always think I'm going out partying, but what I'm doing is seeing what the DJ is spinning. I want to hear and see what's the next thing."

Let It Go: Nelly gets dirty, Derrty style, with Pharrell on vocals over the Neptunes' crackly beats.

Self Esteem: The vibe changes with "Self Esteem," a fluid, inspirational track featuring Chuck D about staying true in the face of struggle, such as a soldier serving in an unjust war. "There are so many obstacles in life to overcome and as soon as you jump over one, there come another one. But we got to be strong and stay strong."

"My all time favorite collaboration is with Chuck D. I heard the track and did the song and I felt something was missing." Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" ran through his head. "Before Chuck even heard the song, he was like, I'll do it. That felt so good to me, that he trusted me. He knew that I wouldn't bring him no mess. That's Public Enemy, that's our CNN of hip hop."

Long Night: Nelly smoothes it out with Usher on "Long Night" -- an intricate musical cut, stacked with thick harmonies. "Sometimes you do songs with R &B artists and you do your verse, and they sing the hook but this one wasn't like that. This one, we're into the song."

Stepped on My J'z: The signature Nelly song featuring Jermaine Dupri and Ciara pays ode to the classic Jordan sneakers. "Shoes are a part of the hip-hop culture. I love my J's. I grew up in that era. I'm part of the reason why Jordan's don't come out on the weekday no more. I used to cut school to get a pair of the new joints"

The time away from the spotlight has been wrought with life lessons for Nelly, balancing the personal and the public, with the loss of his sister Jackie in 2005 after a long struggle with leukemia. "That's the biggest thing to ever happen in my life. That was my heart. Everybody deals with pain differently. I am not one that's going to sit in the room and sulk. No one can harm me worse than I can harm myself. It put me in a different place, but it put me in a better place. I see what is now. It's really simple. It's your family. It's your kids. It's the charitable work that you do. It's keeping it real with yourself."

While some would've thrown in the towel, Nelly never strayed far from the studio and he continued to grow his business ventures -- the Apple Bottom brand, Skybox a new St. Louis Sports Bar and part ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats -- and philanthropic work through his charities 4 Sho 4 Kids and Jes Us 4 Jackie.

Nelly is a man about his business. An award-winning artist who's up for the challenge, primed for battle .....here we go, round five with Brass Knuckles - ding ding.