Nelly Furtado Loose CD

On her third studio album, LOOSE, Nelly Furtado largely abandons the bohemian vibe of previous outings, opting for an energetic, club-ready sound said to be influenced by the time she spent recording in Miami. The Canadian-born singer-songwriter approaches this significant change with wild abandon, as revealed on the sensual singles "Promiscuous," a remarkably catchy dance-pop tune that features Timbaland, and "Maneater," a leering, techno-tinged track. The percussive "No Hay Igual" finds Furtado delving into reggaeton, while "Te Busque" presents the soulful vocalist performing a melancholy duet with Colombian heartthrob Juanes. Though some Furtado fans may initially be perplexed by this dramatic sonic shift, repeated listens reveal the record's charms, particularly on the soaring, synth-laden opener "Afraid" and "All Good Things (Come to an End)," a thoughtful pop ballad co-penned by Coldplay's Chris Martin (who was once rumored to be her boyfriend). An unpredictable and assured album, LOOSE proves that Furtado can wander down unfamiliar stylistic roads and return with fascinating results.
If Nelly Furtado's nearly impenetrable 2003 sophomore effort, Folklore, proved anything, it was that this modern-day singer/songwriter is smart and ambitious yet doesn't quite have a handle on those very qualities. Dabbling in worldbeat and chronicling the perils of immediate success, she indulged herself without a care for the audience -- and the audience responded in kind, as the album barely cracked the Billboard Top 40, spawned no hits, and sold about a quarter of what her Grammy-winning debut did. Clearly a rethink of some sort was in order for her next album, and 2006's Loose, delivered about three years later, certainly does present a different Nelly Furtado: one who is glammed up, sexed up, and ready for the dancefloor. Borrowing liberally from Gwen Stefani's ghetto fabulous makeover and a little bit from Justin Timberlake's sleek retro-'80s moves on Justified, Furtado now has a sound that's straight 2006; with hooks that feel as comfortable as bumper music on MTV as they do as background on cell phone commercials or as ringtones, she can blend into the hyper-saturated media culture of 2006, a move that may alienate fans who were won over by how her debut, Whoa, Nelly!, sounded like nothing else in 2000. No matter how club-friendly Loose is -- even its quieter moments, like the closing "All Good Things (Come to an End)" (co-written in part by Coldplay's Chris Martin), feel like ideal soundtracks to chill-out moments -- ultimately Furtado did not get a swan-styled makeover, where her original personality has been chiseled and chipped away so only a vestige of her remains. Remember, Furtado is nothing if not smart, and she smartly picked Timbaland, one of the very best producers in modern music, as her main collaborator for Loose.
Timbaland helmed all but two of the 12 main tracks here -- the album weighs in at 13 songs, but one is a Spanish version of the Juanes duet "Te Busque" -- and he gives much of this music a bracing feel, dense with old-school synths, subtle sample collages, bone-crunching bass, cascading vocal hooks, and beats that sound so heavy it takes careful listening to realize how nimble they are. Nowhere is this more evident than on the killer opening triptych of "Afraid," "Maneater," and "Promiscuous," three songs that trumpet Furtado's makeover and make it seem pretty convincing, too -- particularly on "Maneater" with its circular, minor-key bass and "Promiscuous" with its chorus that sounds like vintage Prince. This is Timbaland at his best, and the only weak link is Furtado; no matter how she growls on "Maneater" or murmurs on "Promiscuous" -- no matter how much she sings about sex, period -- she just doesn't sound sexy. She sounds as if she's striving to be sexy, which doesn't generate much carnal heat, but it ultimately doesn't matter much since on all the heavy dance songs, of which there are a bunch, sheRolling Stone (p.94) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Timbaland brings her back on LOOSE to scat her quirky high-school-musical vocals over his mostly Eighties beats..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.68) - "Much of Furtado's charm comes from her low-key, girlish sensuality....The most striking songs are in Spanish." -- Grade: B-
Q (p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[M]uch of it is an inventive, hip-hop-inflected delight."
Q (p.118) - Ranked #55 in Q Magazine's "100 Greatest Albums of 2006."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.100) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "'Promiscuous' features the booming tones of Mr. Land himself, alongside Furtado's breathy, come-hither vocals."