Could Nelly Furtado be the next Madonna?
Certainly, with the right producers and the proper attitude.
And the Canadian pop star nails both on her new record, “Loose,” released today on Geffen. Furtado, who first came to our attention via the guileless 2000 pop single “I’m Like a Bird,” has returned to the fun-loving form that launched her.
Crucial to this new record is the fun Furtado has with it. Listen to the first four tracks – especially “Promiscuous” and “Maneater” – and it’s obvious she’s having a good time.
This is particularly noteworthy, given her last full-length album, 2003’s “Folklore,” which positioned Furtado in a curious space: as the young and inexperienced artist trying to be important and meaningful. That’s rarely a fun experiment, especially when you’re better at the flighty pop ditty than the probing pop ballad.
Her producer on “Loose,” hip-hop giant Timbaland, gives her a booming template that accompanies her new attitude with a shout and a stomp. Timbaland’s production is primal and minimalist, sounding at times as if it could have been created in a high school gymnasium by a forward-looking band geek. The massive beats could make a dance-pop star out of Simon Cowell.
Timbaland produced most of “Loose,” and in light of Furtado’s previous reputation, it’s impossible to resist comparing her to Justin Timberlake, whose comeback record, “Justified,” was also handled in part by Timbaland.
Not until the fifth track, the redundant “Showtime,” does Furtado stray into her territory of old. It’s lame, thoughtless pop. But it’s an obvious misstep, because the following song, “No Hay Igual,” is a romp that makes it sound as if Paula Abdul, in her “Straight Up” heyday, rocked a pseudo-reggaeton dance track in Spanish.
It’s an excellent move for Furtado, who was raised in Victoria, Canada, by Portuguese parents. Sure, her music has been influenced and informed by her ethnicity, but never to this extent. This is a dance-floor filler in Cancun and Queens as much as it is in Minneapolis and Dublin.
Right after the booty-shake of “No Hay Igual” comes the salsa ballad “Te Busque.” While the song has its problems, it’s a more respectable move for Furtado than making another waif-
like pop song a la “One-Trick Pony,” which exiled her last record to the land of unfulfilled potential.
“Te Busque” returns Furtado to familiar territory – the yearning and whiny pop ballad – but with an unfamiliar (to mainstream U.S. audiences, at least) voice. Guesting on this platter is Latin superstar
Juanes. While the collaboration is smart, Juanes is relegated to backup singer, even though Furtado gives herself a laughable, Madonnaesque half-spoken rap toward the end of the song.
But it’s a mid-album nap, as she comes back later with “Do It,” reminiscent of Madonna in the ’80s, and “Wait for You.” The record is dominated by Timbaland, and the only flaw of his production is its overwhelming distinctiveness. He’s so good at making sounds that are his alone that when an artist draws from another producer’s creative well, it’s obvious.
“Showtime” and “In God’s Hands,” the album’s weakest moments, are sans the song credit Tim Mosley (Timbaland’s real name). You can tell that without looking at the liner notes.
Pop music critic Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-820-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
