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Nelly Furtado - Folklore Audio CD

A fair review of the Nelly Furtado "Folklore" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Nelly Furtado reviews here, or go back to the Nelly Furtado tabs.

Nelly Furtado Band: Nelly Furtado
Title: Folklore
Rating:
Release Date: 2005-05-02
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: One-Trick Pony 2: Powerless 3: Explode 4: Try 5: Fresh Off The Boat 6: Forza 7: Grass Is Green 8: Picture Perfect 9: Saturdays 10: Build You Up 11: Island Of Wonder 12: Childhood Dreams 13: Powerless - Alternative Acoustic Mix- 14: Try - Acoustic Version

One trick pony?
Surprisingly, her sophomore album "Folklore" has a relatively fresh sound, a sort of acoustic folk-pop. After her annoying debut "Whoa Nelly," Nelly Furtado didn't seem aimed anywhere except down. Her songwriting and vocals are still lacking, but they are made up for by some pretty good pop music.

Starting off with the defensive banjo-led "One Trick Pony," Furtado kicks off into the catchy, strong-willed "Powerless" and odd, intense "Explode. " Then she spreads her wings with some slower numbers ("Try," the pretty "Childhood Dreams"), more ponderings on her background (the rock-edged "Fresh off the Boat," the traditional-sounding "Island of Wonder") and some steady pop ("Build You Up," the steady acoustic "The Grass is Greener").

Every instantly-acclaimed artist's second album is worse than the first -- right? Not exactly. Furtado seems more at home in the folky pop-rock influenced by her Portuguese ancestry and less by a crazy-quilt street sensibility. The music is more acoustic and less poppy, and her style seems to have settled into its niche. In short, Furtado has matured musically.

Don't expect the usual synth instrumentation. Furtado weaves in acoustic guitar and banjo, with some added stuff like flutes, mandolins and squeaky wheels. It has a richer, more rounded feel. What's more, the deeper folk-pop helps to camoflage Furtado's less-than-stellar voice. It's still nasal, but she sounds like she's reining it in when she sings. Good idea.

Furtado's third-grade-level songwriting was the lowest point of "Whoa," but she's shaped up and smoothed it out in "Folklore. " Instead of nonsense words and spoken blather, Furtado actually writes some better material; they lack complexity ("For you I will not dance/For you I will not prance") but they're solid in general. Too bad she is still telling us what a force she is to be reckoned with. Sure, whatever, okay. At least she's not saying it quite so often.

Nelly Furtado's brand of ethnic folk-pop is a step in the right direction, with more musical maturity and seriousness. While "Folklore" is far from legendary, it is worth checking out. .


You can see a complete list of all Nelly Furtado discography, or go back to the Nelly Furtado tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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