LindsayBW's Full Review: Folklore by Nelly Furtado
In all fairness, it would make a lot of sense for Nelly Furtado to suck. Vocally, she's no Christina Aguilera. She doesn't have the Alicia Keys thing going on by banging on her piano or any other instrument either. She looks great, but that isn't everything: just look at Britney Spears's first CD. But remarkably, Nelly Furtado doesn't suck. To be frank, she kicks major bootay.
I, along with the rest of the world, was surprised with Woah, Nelly!. Furtado had a major radio hit with the somwhat schmaltzy I'm Like A Bird, but the rest of the album mixed a variety of different flavors and styles to create something remarkably refreshing and completely out of left field. Woah, Nelly!, however, wasn't a perfect album. Sometimes it was too busy and hectic. Therefore, a follow up from the petite brunette was something I was looking forward to, to see if maybe she could make that perfect CD.
Folklore kicks off with soft strings on the song One-Trick Pony. It goes into an eccentric beat and something that sounds like a banjo and Furtado speaking "You say you're identical to none, but you're identical to some." This song has kind of the feel Hey, Man! did from her debut, but that banjo adds so much to this song. The lyrics are about how she's individual. It builds up to a resounding chorus, which later gets some very inspired background vocals. With the combination of layers of vocals, the banjo, and the strings, this song works remarkably well as a pretty high energy number.
Next is the lead single off this CD, Powerless. This also combines a multitude of different sounds as Nelly sings about her life in the spotlight. This song has a great chorus of Nelly singing "'Cuz this life is too short to live it just for you..." and the banjo strums throughout the song. Some of this song sounds straight out of the middle east, and it really should be weird. But it's not. It is an awesomely crafted pop song.
Explode comes next, with what I think is some spoken Portugeuse. This song immediately sounds like some sort of odd R&B with a creaky see-saw in it or something. The chorus works pretty well though, as Nelly sings a blossoming "as we explooode." But the verses are just strange. Besides, the lyrics are about those blessed teenage years where we drop acid behind K-Mart. Right. This song is somewhat of a grower - it gets better after a few listens, but eventually this is just odd.
The tempo comes down a bit on Try, which is one of the highlights of this CD. It's amazing how good Nelly's voice sounds in this track. It's very off base of her usually nasally tone. There is something reminiscent of a music box in this song, and Furtado's high octaves and piano backing her up are just gorgeous. The lyrics are vulnerable and pure, and it's just a perfectly crafted tune. Even the scratchy sounds later in the song can't ruin it. It's perfectly mixed, but the real star of this song is Furtado's vocals. They are emotional and pure, with a great tone. She really outdoes her self on this great number.
Next up is the odd, maybe even retro Fresh Off The Boat, a song about Nelly's Portugeuse heritage. It's... odd. Her vocals go back to where they border on annoying, and this song tries to be some kind of weird dance energy-packed number. There are some great instruments, and Nelly chanting in Portugeuse at the end is quite a highlight, but overall, this is just quite a weird number.
It gets better, though, with Forca, a midtempo track where Nelly's vocals get back to... well, awesome. The banjo makes its triumphant return in this track, strumming quickly along in the background. The chorus is great. I can just imagine Nelly and the rest of the Furtados doing some ethnic dance to this song. It's great, and the powerful lyrics work so well in it as well. Even at the somewhat cheesy ending where they're all yelling "Forca! Forca!", this song doesn't lose it's momentum for a heartbeat, which is part of why it rocks. This is a highlight.
Next on the agenda is The Grass Is Green, where Furtado doesn't let down the awesomeness. I don't really understand what this song is about, but it has a great melody and Nelly sounds great in this one too. It's more of a mellow song, which is a nice change. This is a great song.
After this is Build You Up, which is somewhat of a dark track. I love this song for its lyrics, which I can really identify with. "A place you can remember, love to go back, but you can't even comprehend it is all in the past." I like Nelly's voice on this, as it isn't perfect at all, which makes it charming and fitting in the song. I like this one.
Picture Perfect is a very mellow track with a nice electric guitar thrown in. You may even call this a bluesy track, and Nelly's voice sounds great on both the verses and the bridge. In other words, she sounds awesome on the whole track. Her vocals are powerful and emotional throughout the song, which is a huge highlight. This is a good one.
Next up is somewhat of an interlude called Saturdays. This reminds me of a gospel song, with some choir-like sounding people backing Nelly up by repeating the same words. I like this song simply because Nelly laughs during it, which makes it just sound natural and fun. Even though this isn't that memorable, it's still kind of fun.
After this is the very... weird... Island Of Wonder. A lot of people think it's eccentricity makes this a good song, but I think it's too odd for my liking. The other lady singing is just kind of weird. Overall, it's just a strange, dark, moody song, that I just don't really feel.
The last track starts off with a very epic sounding organ, introducing us to Childhood Dreams. The song is quite laidback and mystical though, with a soft guitar under Nelly's high vocals. Her voice is nasally, but remarkably charming in this atmosphere. This song makes some kind of mental image of just floating through the clouds. It's very beautiful. Towards the end of the song, there is a heavier beat, but it doesn't detract from the song at all. This is a very gorgeous song and a fitting close to a terrific album.
Folklore isn't perfect, but it comes damn close: about as close as most pop records could. Nelly does repeat history twice in some instances with making things just a tad too weird, but it works, whether it be banjo, castanets, violins, or chanting in Porteguese. For something that really shouldn't work, it does. And that in itself is amazing.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.