Nelly Furtado – Folklore
A few years ago, Nelly Furtado emerged, albeit slowly, as a spry pop performer whose debut album, 2000′s Whoa, Nelly!, merged unlikely genres together. The Grammy-winning, Portuguese singer/songwriter from Canada had a knack for modern pop, which, on one hand, led to ear-candy like “I’m Like a Bird” and multiplatinum sales, and, on the other, grounded her image with an adult, MOR-like sensibility that threatened to marginalise her.
Her sophomore release, Folklore, still champions on agreeable chord progressions and easy-to-digest production. And it retains her astute skill at blending different tones and subgenres together. However, it features the depth and focus missing from her debut. Folklore is arguably a concept album about one’s roots and personal narrative, scored by a musical diversity consistent with Furtado’s global, cultural experience. But rather than placing an emphasis on throwing as much as possible in the pot, she and producers Track & Field mix a categorical foundation that, along with the singer’s personal lyricism and effortless melodicism, binds the songs together. The end product falls somewhere between post-angst Alanis Morissette and post-frat Dave Matthews Band.
Banjoes, violins, organs, tablas, congas and other fringe instruments colour the entire album. Furtado recalls various locations of her past, from her birthplace in the celebratory “Forãa” (which means “keep going” in Portuguese) to her spiritual upbringing in the ethereal “Childhood Dreams.” The synergy between the elements never feels concerted, just occasionally overprocessed; the biggest problem might just be that, for all it’s self-conscious reflection, the album isn’t as revealing as it presumes to be. But it is undoubtedly personal, emphasised by the passion Furtado evokes in each song. She has offered a few different entry points with Folklore, and in the process she’s not only lived up to expectations, she’s elevated her artistry to surpass them. Good for her.
Mike Prevatt
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