Coming three years after the beautiful but momentum-busting
Folklore, Nelly Furtado has hauled out her best midriff-baring tanks and teamed up with producers Timbaland (Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake) and Danja (Britney Spears, Katharine McPhee) for round number three. Though Furtado's makeover does look painfully forced when watching
Loose's accompanying music videos, judging by Furtado's past career moves, following a serious sophomore effort with a fun-loving dance pop record doesn't seem so off, eyebrow-raising image revamp aside.
Whoa, Nelly!'s "Turn Off the Light" clip presented Furtado as someone just as comfy playing in the mud as she was dancing down the street in dayglo getup, and on
Folklore's "One-Trick Pony," she warned us herself of her style shifting ways:
Where I was last
I'll never be at.
Of course, with an album titled Loose and a promotional push placed behind a song named "Promiscuous," there's no room for feigning surprise if the audience's gut reaction is to cry foul. At least Furtado seems braced for the inevitable fan fallout, as right off the bat, "Afraid" addresses the struggle of fearing judgment from others. From there, an erratic array of songs comes shuffling through and though cohesive they are not, a few aren't half bad. Colombian musician Juanes duets with Furtado on "Te Busqué," marking the album's halfway point with one of its best songs, the Chris Martin co-penned "All Good Things (Come to an End)" wraps things up in a much-needed stripped down way, and "Maneater" is just too catchy for its own good. And that's where the good ends. From the weak R&B come-ons "Glow" and "Showtime" to the album's less successful ballad, "In God's Hands," to the obnoxious "Do It," which would sound more at home on a Gwen Stefani record, it's a tedious ride to Loose's conclusion. Her weakest offering to date, Loose displays little of the creativity Furtado's past albums have been driven by. Relying on Timbaland's trademark stuttering, echo-laden production and at times exhibiting a musical mentality geared for an '80s revival, Furtado's third release marks the first time she has conformed her sound to what is of the moment, content to fit in rather than stand out. Where Folklore delivered upon the promise of Whoa, Nelly!, Loose is the unfortunate comedown.
