Barnes & Noble
Since her acclaimed 2000 debut, Whoa, Nelly!, Canadian-Portuguese chanteuse Nelly Furtado set her sights on becoming the thinking-person's pop star. The tension in that ambition, though, is that the masses drawn in by her stunning voice tend to resist the insistently eclectic stylistic shifts that Furtado favors. With Loose, she dismisses the problem entirely: While there are still traces of bohemia scattered throughout the grooves, the disc is essentially Furtado's effort to get in close touch with her inner party girl -- a connection that sparks with electricity. It's palpable enough on the teasing "Promiscuous," on which she duets with uber producer Timbaland, who makes a rare appearance on the mike. But it really bursts forth on "Maneater" (an impossibly infectious pop-rocker custom-made for summertime highway cruising) and "Afraid" (on which Timbaland boosts the energy level into the red zone). The singer still has her moments of artistic restlessness, but she's learned to channel them in more immediately accessible ways -- as on the serpentine "Wait for You," which bounces along on a bracing bhangra beat, and the reggaeton-tinged "No Hay Igual," a duet with Colombian superstar Juanes. Loose also includes the requisite ballad or two -- the best of which, the acoustic guitar-driven "In God's Hands," exudes an intimacy that's almost blush-worthy. With songs that are skintight and an attitude that's exactly what its title implies, Loose is the perfect soundtrack to the summer of '06. David Sprague
All Music Guide
If Nelly Furtado's nearly impenetrable 2003 sophomore effort, Folklore, proved anything, it was that this modern-day singer/songwriter is smart and ambitious yet doesn't quite have a handle on those very qualities. Dabbling in worldbeat and chronicling the perils of immediate success, she indulged herself without a care for the audience -- and the audience responded in kind, as the album barely cracked the Billboard Top 40, spawned no hits, and sold about a quarter of what her Grammy-winning debut did. Clearly a rethink of some sort was in order for her next album, and 2006's Loose, delivered about three years later, certainly does present a different Nelly Furtado: one who is glammed up, sexed up, and ready for the dancefloor. Borrowing liberally from Gwen Stefani's ghetto fabulous makeover and a little bit from Justin Timberlake's sleek retro-'80s moves on Justified, Furtado now has a sound that's straight 2006; with hooks that feel as comfortable as bumper music on MTV as they do as background on cell phone commercials or as ringtones, she can blend into the hyper-saturated media culture of 2006, a move that may alienate fans who were won over by how her debut, Whoa, Nelly!, sounded like nothing else in 2000. No matter how club-friendly Loose is -- even its quieter moments, like the closing "All Good Things (Come to an End)" (co-written in part by Coldplay's Chris Martin), feel like ideal soundtracks to chill-out moments -- ultimately Furtado did not get a swan-styled makeover, where her original personality has been chiseled and chipped away so only a vestige of her remains. Remember, Furtado is nothing if not smart, and she smartly picked Timbaland, one of the very best producers in modern music, as her main collaborator for Loose.
Timbaland helmed all but two of the 12 main tracks here -- the album weighs in at 13 songs, but one is a Spanish version of the Juanes duet "Te Busque" -- and he gives much of this music a bracing feel, dense with old-school synths, subtle sample collages, bone-crunching bass, cascading vocal hooks, and beats that sound so heavy it takes careful listening to realize how nimble they are. Nowhere is this more evident than on the killer opening triptych of "Afraid," "Maneater," and "Promiscuous," three songs that trumpet Furtado's makeover and make it seem pretty convincing, too -- particularly on "Maneater" with its circular, minor-key bass and "Promiscuous" with its chorus that sounds like vintage Prince. This is Timbaland at his best, and the only weak link is Furtado; no matter how she growls on "Maneater" or murmurs on "Promiscuous" -- no matter how much she sings about sex, period -- she just doesn't sound sexy. She sounds as if she's striving to be sexy, which doesn't generate much carnal heat, but it ultimately doesn't matter much since on all the heavy dance songs, of which there are a bunch, she's mixed into the background on Timbaland's production, functioning as another instrument, which helps the music work as just a stylish wall of sound. Furtado doesn't fight against Timbaland's mix, which proves her smarts more than anything on the showy Folklore; there's a reason why she chose Timbaland as a collaborator, and she lets him shine for the first half of the record, as they get the party rolling. Then on the second half of the record, the old Nelly starts to show through. She gets to play the world traveler with "No Hay Igual," where she deftly blends reggaeton and M.I.A., along with the smooth Latin pop ballad "Te Busque." Her words gradually come to the forefront, as on "Say It Right" -- a dark meditative piece that would have fit on her previous records if it didn't have a Timbaland production -- or on the sweetly ruminative "In God's Hands," and then on "Wait for You," which has Indian-influenced hooks and a melody reminiscent of "I'm Like a Bird," both strands are pulled together in a haunting fashion.
It's on this final stretch of the album that the Furtado and Timbaland pairing seems like a genuine collaboration, staying true to the Nelly of her first two albums, but given an adventurous production that helps open her songs up. Unlike the music on Folklore, the idiosyncrasies intrigue instead of frustrate, and deliver on the promise of her debut, when it seemed like Furtado could do anything. That said, the music on the second half isn't nearly as immediate or addictive as "Maneater" and "Promiscuous," two singles that were already deserved hits (in the U.K. and U.S., respectively) when Loose was released. The genius on these two songs is down to Timbaland, who not only crafts the sound but vocally overshadows Nelly's mumbled raps on the latter. But Furtado is smart enough to let him dominate here, since she knows that Timbaland has revitalized Nelly Furtado both creatively and commercially with Loose, so it's only appropriate that he hogs the spotlight on its two best moments. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Vibe
Furtado masterfully combines Spanish and pop influences in her own unique way. Kevin Wong
Billboard
On her third set, "Loose," the eclectic singer offers a more varied mix of pop, hip-hop and Latin, showcasing not only her own dexterity but that of chief producer Timbaland as well.... A welcome exercise in versatility. Clover Hope
Los Angeles Times
Furtado is game for anything Timbaland tosses out, and his production on most tracks unifies the disparate styles and moods. She raps and sings over his signature blend of primal yet sophisticated rhythms and up-to-the-minute dance trends. Natalie Nichols
Atlanta Journal Constitution
[Grade: A-] The pop album of the year (so far).... "Loose" is a miniature journey through the state of pop music. Shane Harrison
San Francisco Chronicle
"Loose" finds Furtado proving her pop mettle by donning full urban regalia and going for broke.... "Loose" is the sound of an artist leaping for the brass ring with claws extended and teeth bared. Neva Chonin
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
[Grade: A] An overwhelmingly funky disc that expertly picks up where Gwen Stefani's last CD left off.... Some of today's best freewheelin' urban pop.
Kevin Johnson
Los Angeles Daily News
Terrific ear candy. Rob Lowman
Miami Herald
Loose has enough hits to make it a summer essential. Evelyn McDonnell
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