Nelly Furtado is our Artist of the Week! Why you ask? Because she is awesome, that’s why! Nelly has released three studio albums and she recently released her first Spanish album, “Mi Plan.” Nelly is also our first Canadian act to be given this very high honor (she actually beat out Bryan Adams).
What makes Nelly Furtado so special? Well, first of all, she is downright sexy! Secondly, she speaks the language of love: Spanish. Nelly has an eclectic style and sound in her music. One minute she is singing a ballad, the next a Top 40 hit. Then just when you think you’ve figured her out, she can be heard singing the hook on a rap song. Lyrically, Nelly Furtado has gotten a lot more personal with her music recently.
When you hear her name you immediately think quality. But if you look deeper, she has an impressive catalog of hits. She also has eight Grammy nominations and one win, along with winning a Brit Award, four Juno Awards and an Album of the Year award given by MTV Europe in 2007 for her album “Loose.” She has been featured on several movie soundtracks and has provided guest vocals on several artists’ albums. She is a busy lady! All three of her albums are excellent and I give all three very high praise!
Her first album “Whoa, Nelly!” was an eclectic mix of musical genres. She went from Top 40 to Hip-Hop and even included a Portuguese ballad. It was released in 2000 to very high critical acclaim. Most people do not listen to one type of music. In fact, many of us jump from genre to genre which is what made this album so good. It jumped all over the place and it worked. Her single, “I’m Like a Bird,” was one of the biggest songs from that year. Other standout tracks include: “Scared of You,” “I Will Make You Cry,” “Well, Well” and “Hey Man!”
Her second release, “Folklore,” is my favorite album. Although this one wasn’t received as well, Nelly’s writing got better as did the production. The album is good from start to finish. The opening track, “One-Trick Pony,” is an excellent way to start off the album because in the song she is answering the critics who said she couldn’t make another stellar album. The album includes the very powerful ballad “Try,” which she performed an excellent acoustic version of on KCRW’s “New Ground.” Other standout hits on this album include: “Explode,” “Forca,” “Island of Wonder,” “The Grass is Green” and “Fresh Off the Boat.”
Her third release, “Loose,” received a ton of critical and commercial success and featured many chart-topping singles.  The album was released in several different versions. Some of her best work was not released on the album, but as B-Sides. The song “Undercover” is probably her best song, yet it is nowhere on the album. The album turned Nelly Furtado into a household name, making her a true musical heavyweight. She also grew as an artist, adding more of her Latin style to the album. Lyrically, she was growing as an artist too, with songs like: “All Good Things Come to an End” and “Say It Right.” Definitely adding to the album’s success was super producer Timbaland, who has produced many hits.
Although born in Canada, her parents migrated from the São Miguel Islands. She has been hinting at making a Spanish album for years now and has re-recorded many of her most popular hits in Spanish, which have been released as B-Sides. She has also worked with Spanish singer Juanes. Her latest album is quality, as are all her other albums. Although this album may not appeal to non-Spanish speaking people, it will definitely put her into a class with other singers who diversify themselves by crossing over into different languages.
Because of Furtado’s countless B-Sides and appearance on the albums of countless artists (which span across genres), she is one of only a handful of singers whose versatility knows no boundaries! So go out and celebrate Nelly’s entire catalog this week; I know I will!
Top 5 Songs
1. Undercover (B-Side)
2. Try (Folklore)
3. My Love Grows Deeper (Pt 2) (B-Side)
4. Afraid (Loose)
5. Get Ur Freak On (remix)(Tomb Raider Soundtrack)
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