Loose — Nelly Furtado
Geffen
2006
Rating:


Nelly Furtado's "Loose" arrives amidst expectations that may be too high for any music artist to realistically meet. With the exception of Gnarls Barkley's "St. Elsewhere," no other album released in 2006 has been forced to live up to a singular phenomenon quite like Furtado's "Promiscuous."

Though unfortunately diminished by its ubiquity and use in Verizon Wireless commercials, "Promiscuous" earns its widespread popularity. "Promiscuous" is a true pop force, a single that matches the verve of Timbaland's raw snare, high-hat and Casio noodling with surprisingly intelligent lyrics that challenge the double standard against women when it comes to dancefloor hook-ups.

Of "Loose's" 15 tracks, only two are up to that very high standard. "Maneater" follows the "Promiscuous" blueprint with a harder kick and additional electronic brass for a tale of voracious female sexuality and the men who try to bed her. It references Hall & Oates in name and theme only. Meanwhile "Glow" swirls with stuttering keyboards for a track that evokes latter day Madonna.

The remainder of "Loose" is a disappointingly stultifying effort. Much of the album's second half is devoted to insipid ballads with lines like "Our love's floating up in the sky in heaven / Where it began, back in God's hands." It's also free of personality, failing to capture the unique qualities that have made Furtado a pop star on the verge thanks to "Like a Bird" and her rapid, sloping flow on the "Get Ur Freak On" remix. Furtado can burn like the best dancefloor divas, but she rarely gets a chance to do so here.

Posted Monday, December 18, 2006

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