07.31.2000
Nelly Furtado's "Whoa, Nelly!"

It is a rarity in today's era of pop overload that an artist emerges with a debut album so strikingly original that it knocks the current stream of pop off it's foundation, but Nelly Furtado is about to do that with the October 24th release of "Whoa, Nelly!" (DreamWorks Records).

Merging hip-hop rhythms with folk, latin, jazz, world, techno/dance, pop/rock, and modern r&b, Nelly Furtado has created a unique sound unlike any other female artist in contemporary pop. Picture Erykah Badu with Beck, mix in Bjork and Billie Holiday, toss in Sophie B. Hawkins and Macy Gray for good measure, and gently sprinkle with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Jeff Buckley. Her songs are wonderful and instantly memorable, her vocals fun and touching, and the production, assisted by the team of Track & Field, is perfect, credibly blending the aforementioned influences into a sound both derivative and unique.

The album kicks off with the plea "Hey, Man!" - where Nelly begs for tolerance in a world full of chaos ("There's a shadow in the sky, but it looks like rain/and shit is gonna fly once again..."). The hook of the song is led by a repetitive string sample, mixed with Nelly's acoustic guitar and a rhythmic latin groove. Nelly's vocals on the final verse - where she sings "...I look at myself in the mirror, am I vital today?/...did I let my conscience get in the way - oh, no..." - nearly bring you to tears.

She follows it up by a state of independence song, "...on the Radio," where she ends the song by chanting "myself, myself..." while repeating all the things said to her that causes her to break free. It is a powerful statement, and the song is one of the best on the album. "Baby Girl" starts off with Nelly whispering "Come here, baby girl," then ends with her chanting under a mix of different instrumentation, including a horn section and synth rhythms. "Legend" is a samba rhythm with a bed of spanish guitar. Other key tracks on the disc include the beautiful "I'm Like a Bird," the rap-based "I Will Make U Cry," and the party anthems "Turn Off the Light" and "Party's Just Begun," where she mixes techno, Middle-East vocalization and instrumentation, latin rhythms, and chants.

Overall, every track on the disc has it's own blend of different sounds, and on the final track, "Scared of You," Nelly lets loose and sings full over a light guitar and keyboard, and the song stays with you long after the disc is over.

Hopefully this album will get the promotion it deserves. With the genre breaking foundation of the music, it has the ability to appeal to a wide variety of listeners. Nearly ever track on this album could be a hit single, and with 20-year-old Furtado's model-like looks and confident presence, there's absolutely no way this album can fail. Furtado's debut is definitely one we'll be talking about for many years to come.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

-Todd Durnil

taken with permission from the nelly furtado e-group