Nelly Furtado — Folklore

As young female pop stars continue to vacillate dramatically to and fro, no one can accuse Nelly Furtado of losing her way. Furtado has taken the best of what made Whoa Nelly! so successful: her carefree spirit and sense of musical adventure and the agile production skills of Track & Field (Brian West and Gerald Eaton, both former Philosopher Kings) — and has intensified the elements.

The record is a colourful tapestry of sound; it blends her strong, smiling voice with Portugese and Brazilian flavour, cheery breakbeats interspersed with folksy banjo spots by Bela Fleck, Kronos Quartet’s reverent strings and the stirring vocals of Caetano Veloso. The songwriting is taught, slightly more sober than on the first record and yet maintains that devilish Furtado edge as she sings of media control, her parents’ immigration from the homeland and the reality of true love. Nelly never loses her strong sense of identity as she grows up. We should all listen and feel proud of the musical woman she has become.

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