Nelly Furtado

Forget the genial quasi-hippy who was once "Like a Bird." Loose showcases the bumping "promiscuous girl," the grinding "Maneater," a wholly reinvented siren -- Nelly Furtado, version 2.0. The Portuguese-Canadian teamed with uber-producer Timbaland for this collection of nuclear grade pop, hence the humongous beats and sleek synths nuzzling up to Furtado's buttery vocals. The fact that three singles -- "Maneater," "Promiscuous," and the saucy bilingual club track "No Hay Igual" -- were released simultaneously in different parts of the globe make the point: Furtado fancies herself the go-to diva of the global village.

While Missy Elliott cooks with the Neptunes, Timbaland is out to prove he can produce an
omnipop multiformat blockbuster in the style of Gwen Stefani's Love Angel Music Baby --
but without Gwen. Instead, he passes the mike to Canadian chirper Nelly Furtado, a mighty
strange choice for an R&B goddess, but that's Timbaland for you. Furtado had a dodgy 2001
pop hit you might remember, the ornithologically themed "I'm Like a Bird." But sh... More >

Although the Toronto hopeful remains an Intriguing Meld who identifies Latina and loves hip-hop, her Timbaland album has the paradoxical effect of bringing out the Canadian in her. Running the show for the attempted sex symbol is an undistinguished singer-songwriter hawking her Intriguing Meld. "Maneater," "No Hay Igual," and the Arab-Indian "Wait for Me" might accomplish God's great plan on the dance-floor. But as songs they're not much. Which doesn't stop the artist from pointing out that "Maneater" isn't solely about one of those mythical creatures--it "speaks to the consumerist world we live in." Oh really? (Grade - B)