Loose

by Nelly Furtado

Overview

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, she's mixed into the background on Timbaland's production, functioning as another instrument, which helps the music work as just a stylish wall of sound. Furtado doesn't fight against Timbaland's mix, which proves her smarts more than anything on the showy Folklore; there's a reason why she chose Timbaland as a collaborator, and she lets him shine for the first half of the record, as they get the party rolling. Then on the second half of the record, the old Nelly starts to show through. She gets to play the world traveler with "No Hay Igual," where she deftly blends reggaeton and M.I.A., along with the smooth Latin pop ballad "Te Busque." Her words gradually come to the forefront, as on "Say It Right" -- a dark meditative piece that would have fit on her previous records if it didn't have a Timbaland production -- or on the sweetly ruminative "In God's Hands," and then on "Wait for You," which has Indian-influenced hooks and a melody reminiscent of "I'm Like a Bird," both strands are pulled together in a haunting fashion. It's on this final stretch of the album that the Furtado and Timbaland pairing seems like a genuine collaboration, staying true to the Nelly of her first two albums, but given an adventurous production that helps open her songs up. Unlike the music on Folklore, the idiosyncrasies intrigue instead of frustrate, and deliver on the promise of her debut, when it seemed like Furtado could do anything. That said, the music on the second half isn't nearly as immediate or addictive as "Maneater" and "Promiscuous," two singles that were already deserved hits (in the U.K. and U.S., respectively) when Loose was released. The genius on these two songs is down to Timbaland, who not only crafts the sound but vocally overshadows Nelly's mumbled raps on the latter. But Furtado is smart enough to let him dominate here, since she knows that Timbaland has revitalized Nelly Furtado both creatively and commercially with Loose, so it's only appropriate that he hogs the spotlight on its two best moments. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	12/01/2023
Label:	Geffen / Polydor / Umr
UPC:	0602458369946

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Nelly Furtado   Primary Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Attitude   Primary Artist,Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Rap
Timbaland   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals (Background),Drums,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Percussion
Calle 13   Primary Artist
Saukrates   Primary Artist
Mr. Vegas   Primary Artist
Da Weasel   Primary Artist
Quarterhead   Primary Artist
Residente Calle 13   Primary Artist
Missy Elliott   Primary Artist
Courtney John   Primary Artist
Chris Martin   Primary Artist
Keith Urban   Primary Artist
Juanes   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Danja   Keyboards,Drums,Piano
Rick Nowels   Keyboards,Guitar (Bass),Piano (Grand),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Piano
Josefina Vergara   Violin
Paula Hochhalter   Celli,Cello
Dean Jarvis   Guitar (Bass)
Steve Richards   Celli,Cello
Roberto Cani   Violin
Suzie Katayama   Celli,Cello,Piano,Conductor
Peter Kent   Violin
Kevin Rudolf   Guitar
Jamie Muhoberac   Keyboards
Dean Fraser   Saxophone
Nisan Stewart   Drums
Lester Mendez   Keyboards
Larry Corbett   Celli,Cello
Armen Garabedian   Violin
David Levita   Guitar
Rusty Anderson   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Joey Waronker   Drums
Joel Derouin   Violin
Wayne Rodrigues   Guitar (Bass)
David Campbell   String Conductor
Everol Wray   Trumpet
Everald Gayle   Trombone
Beverly Jean   Choir/Chorus
Brittney Howard   Choir/Chorus
Aiden Love   Keyboards
Donald "Danny Bassie" Dennis   Guitar (Bass)
Gerardo Hilera   Violin
Phillip James   Keyboards
JoSH   Vocals
Mario de Leon   Violin
Daniel Stone   Percussion
Ramon Stagnaro   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Jim Beanz   Vocals (Background)
Tim Pierce   Guitar (Electric)
Luis Orbegoso   Percussion
Marithza Bain   Choir/Chorus
Richardson Paquoit   Choir/Chorus
Sam Littlemore   Keyboards
Sharon Jackson   Violin
Rup   Vocals
Greg Kurtsin   Keyboards
Mark Darson   Drums
Justin Mendal-Johnson   Guitar (Bass)
Q   Vocals
Dolton Browney   Guitar
Greg Kurstin   Keyboards
Dan Warner   Guitar

Technical Credits

Demacio Castellon   Programming,Audio Engineer,Mixing,Recording
Timbaland   Audio Production,Executive Producer,Composer,Producer
Jon Ingoldsby   Recording,Engineer
Rob Jacobs   Engineer
Rick Nowels   Composer,Producer
Rohan Dwyer   Mixing
Ralph Jordan   Engineer
Dean Reed   Assistant Engineer
Brian Burton   Composer
Joe Wohlmuth   Engineer
Vadim Chislov   Engineer
Gerald Eaton   Composer
Gian Piero Reverberi   Composer
Suzie Katayama   String Contractor
Steve Genewick   Assistant Engineer
Nisan Stewart   Composer,Producer
Lester Mendez   Composer,Producer,Instrumentation
Jim Caruana   Engineer
Track & Field   Producer
Axwell   Producer,Remix Engineer
Chris Martin   Composer,Composer
Chris Gehringer   Mastering
Juanes   Composer
Wayne Rodrigues   Drum Programming
David Campbell   String Arrangements,Arranger
James Washington   Composer,Composer
Rick Frazier   A&R
Andy Rogers   Producer
Justin Henry   Make-Up
Julio Reyes Copello   Producer,Musical Adaptation,Production Coordination
Horace Mann Middle School Choirs   Performer
Nevis   Artwork
Anthony Mandler   Photography
DJ Mormile   A&R
Liani Reeves   Hair Stylist
Thomas Callaway   Composer
JoSH   Producer,Vocal Arrangement
Carol Bergeron   Recording
James Roach   Engineer
Jeanne Venton   A&R
Cliff Feiman   Production Coordination
J.P. Robinson   Design,Art Direction
Gita Williams   Marketing
Tara Saremi   Production Coordination
Brian West   Composer
Nate Hills   Composer
Thom Panunzio   A&R,Executive Producer
Kieron Menzies   Engineer,Recording
Jim Beanz   Composer,Vocal Producer
Yogie   Producer,Remix Engineer
Timothy Mosley   Composer
Ben Jost   Engineer
Charlene Roxborough   Stylist
Sam Littlemore   Drum Programming
Evan Peters   A&R
Rup   Producer,Vocal Arrangement
Timothy "Attitude" Clayton   Composer
Gianfranco Reverberi   Composer
Mark Barnes   Marketing Coordinator
John Nazario   Recording
Jimena Romero   Musical Adaptation
Marcella Araica   Mixing,Engineer
Neal H. Pogue   Producer
Rene Perez   Composer
Q   Producer,Vocal Arrangement
Patrick Magee   Recording
Quarterhead   Remix Engineer
Chris Garcia   Engineer,Recording
Timm Clayton   Composer
Jay Legen   Recording
John Mazario   Recording
Kobla Tetey   Engineer
Nelly Furtado   Composer,Producer,Executive Producer
Gnarls Barkley   Composer
Brad Haehnel   Mixing,Engineer
Andres Bermudez   Mixing
Dave Pensado   Mixing
Danja   Producer
Dean Reid   Recording,Assistant Engineer