Customer Reviews

Loose

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Nelly Furtado's collaboration with Timbaland and Danja has really paid off - her third studio album has something for anybody who's into Pop, Latin, Dance, R&B and Hip Hop, with three hot singles right off the bat in "Promiscuous", "Maneater" and "No Hay Igual".

Spiced up by guest appearances by Attitude and Latin super-hottie Juanes, this album is packed with guaranteed hits and potential singles including the three above, plus "Afraid", "Glow", "Te Busque", "Say It Right", "Do It", "Wait For You" (great intro), and the beautiful ballads "In God's Hands" and "All Good Things (Come to an End)", which is one of the best songs on the album.

This version has three songs that aren't on the US version of the album - "What I Wanted", a ballad; "Let My Hair Down", another Hip Hop dance track, and "Somebody to Love", a great R&B/Dance number.

At over an hour long, Nelly really delivers the goods with this album, both as a singer and songwriter.


Amanda Richards, June 21, 2006

I honestly don't understand why so many people can't deal with the fact that Nelly Furtado has a new sound. It's called change, EVOLUTION. Yes, she sounds a little bit different, but in the end, it's all Furtado.... So don't be so closed minded... GET LOOSE and just enjoy this awesome Cd.... The best so far. All the tracks are just a-ma-zing... I dunno why they didn't include all the bonus tracks in the US version....
The stand out tracks are:
Afraid
Maneater
Promiscuous
No Hay Igual
Te Busque
In God's Hands
Wait For You
All Good Things
Somebody To Love...

WAIT....
Scratch that... all of the songs in this album stand out!
This is just F*ckin awesome!

Ok so it's not your typical Nelly Furtado CD... since when is "change" a bad thing?
"...so afraid of what people might say, but that's ok cuz we're only human"
There... nice opening statement from Furtado herself.... If you don't like it, too bad...
Loose is so far this year's best CD by a female artist.

Nelly Furtado was considered at her beginning as one of the most prominent artists. Her first LP 'Whoa Nelly' was a pop roots album with hit-single 'I'm Like A Bird' and a very hip hop track 'Turn Off The Lights' plus other songs that make Nelly's work earned 2 Grammy nominations as Best Pop Album and Best Female Pop Performance for ILAB (the one that won). Her awaited second effort was announced as a more folk based album 'Folcklore' was all that and so much more. Considering a less synthesized album to a more string vocal one wich songs as enigmatic 'Powerless' and ballad 'Try'. The album and the singles failed to call out the attention of public and radio audience. Maybe because Nelly's 1st records was based on R&N ad the second one was a more profilactic into the pop area.

Hello, Loose is a very distinct journey into experimentation which included in the process The Neptunes and Scott Torch. Both of them did tracks to the album but none of them was selected. In the way Tim Mosley a.k.a. Missy Elliot's old production partner a.k.a. Timbaland who's career is based on jobs with Missy was having a free - Elliot time where he experimented with a producer by himself with great results as Cry Me A River with Justin Timberlake and the critic aclaimed Afrodisiac of Brandy. Plus MC ATTITUDE and Coldplay's Chris Martin the journey begins.

A very R&B, synthesized record plus a more hip hop and very rebel 80's sound, Nelly starts a personal discovering into hard sound tracks as Maneater or No Hay Igual to more dance club party single such as Promiscuous or beat up track Afraid. Nelly also give talent as a written to Chris Martin's writting collaboration and Juanes prominet duo 'Te Busque' which renews bounds with her very wide latin audience.

At difference of other artist who decides to go R&B, Nelly is using a more eclectic sound to avoid critic's concern about Nelly Furtado's weak audience in the States. All the help she needed, she got her groove back. No doubt 'bout it.

I love Nelly because she is multi-faceted and represents a mish-mash of "genres". She grew up listening to lots of different styles of music so to say she sold out is just preposterous. Do you want every album to sound the same? Did the Beatles sell out because they changed styles? No, they got even better.

Whoa Nelly is different from Folklore which is different from Loose. I think that is great. I will always love Nelly because she is original.

Something to note:
1) She is good friends with Timbaland (they have done remixes and tracks together) hence the major collaboration here
2) Before she became famous she was in a trip-hop group and she was heavily influenced by hiphop and rnb

So to people who think she has sold out, you do not know what you are talking about. She has an ever-evolving sound and it will never stay the same between albums.....

I really can't complain though because out of that came some very fun and catchy tracks that will be in your head for hours upon hours upon hours.

Afraid - 7/10 Well, there was SOME depth...

Maneater - 8/10 (The Remix is much better)

Promiscuous (Feat. Timbaland) - 10/10 THE summer jam of 2006; it was EVERYWHERE, and for good reason! It was also the first single from the album.

Glow - 6.5/10 Bouncy, but not totally necessary.

Showtime - 8.5/10 Big improvement from Glow. Nice production, and quite interesting.

No Hay Igual - 2/10 Err...First off, I'm not Spanish/Canadian. This is one of the worst worst WORST songs EVER! Boo, Nelly. Boo!!

Te Busque - 7.75/10 Nice beat. I like the lyrics, but not the Spanish ones; I don't understand them. :(

Say It Right - 8/10 This song doesn't make much sense. Seriously! But the beat is very awesome. Timbaland produced yet another hit. I believe this was Nelly's second single and it did well.

Do It - 9/10 Lovely. This is the 4th, and probably the last single from Loose. It's catchy and I like the fun, but true lyrics. Nelly is awesome. But I heard this beat was "stolen". If it's true, then shame on ya, Timbo. But I still love him as a producer!!

In God's Hands - 7.5/10 Beautiful vibe to this song, the production. It feels kinda like "The Grass Is Green Part. 2" but with a different message.

Wait For You - 10/10 Yet again, a great, GREAT beat. Surprisingly surpasses Do It. Not in lyrics, but the beat. Dangerously catchy!! It has a vibe of someone else - some other artist. Maybe Keyshia Cole. I dunno. Anyway it's upbeat and in your face like we have currently come to expect with the Nelly as of late. Like Ashanti would say, "This beat is BANANAS!"

All Good Things (Come To An End) - 8.5/10 Am I tired of all the crazy beats by now? Nope. And this song continues that trend. The beat here is catchy. 3rd single. Don't know how it did. Reasonably well, I suppose.

Te Busque (Spanish Version) 7/10 - You all know that I can't stand a song in all Spanish, but I'll rated this on the sounds. Decent lyrics, but this song as well as the original don't necessarily fit with the other upbeat tracks.

The only track I didn't enjoy at all was No Hay Igual. It's one of the most annoying tracks ever. All she says is, "No Hay Igual", really fast. It'll make you puke. But that was the only setback here.

105.269230769231/13 = 93.2884615= 4.6 stars.

I can't wait for the next album!!

Standouts: Wait For You
Promiscuous
Do It
All Good Things (Come To An End)

4.6 stars.

Out of all the LOOSE versions around the world so far THIS one is the best. Containing 3 bonus tracks (What I wanted, Let my hair down & somebody to love) this is certainly the best edition from all LOOSE versions and from all Nelly Furtados albums so far. She combined everything on it: R&B, Rap, Pop, Latin music, etc. We all know she was into mixing all kinds of music since her debut album Whoa Nelly (including remixes with Missy Elliot, etc). This new album includes: Hit singles as Maneater (#1 UK), Promiscous (#1 USA), No hay igual (#1 several countries in Latinamerica) All good things (currently #4 in UK); energy tracks as Glow, Do it, Wait for you; beautiful ballads as What I wanted, Showtime and All good things; they all make this album the BEST of the year: Nor Mary J Blige nor Sir Justin Timberlake. Loose is the perfect combination between POP, ROCK and LATIN music, something that the other albums lacks. If you really want the full album get this version right away, other way just get the regular version of it ($9.99). Undercover is the only missing track from it so far, since its only available on the "Maneater" single. There are 2 other unreleased tracks from the Loose era: I am and Runaway, 2 perfect tracks that may or not be available on the LOOSE re-released expected for 2007. Highly recommended. BEST ALBUM of NELLY FURTADO. 5 stars.

I have been a Nelly Furtado fan since 2000...I loved "Woah Nelly" and "Folklore" and I was impressed with the song writing on Folklore more then anything...I slept on "Loose" cuz I heard "Permiscous" and thought it was trash like everything else on the radio...In my opinion she had sold out and abandonded all the little things that seperated her from the pack to begin with...I like maybe 1/2 the songs on "Loose" in my opinion its the female version of Justin Timberlakes "Futuresexlovesounds"...Over produced, lyrically lacking (for the most part)it more or less sounds like everything else you hear on the radio...I know she had to "Sell Out" cuz she was about to get dropped from her label but this is disappointing to true Nelly fans...The beats are so generic, the production is so typical and it dosent showcase her personality which made her so different from everyone else anyway...I gave it 3 stars cuz Timbaland did a good job making Nelly everything her fans never wanted her to be...Dont expect anything stellar with this cd but at the same time I have heard worse...this just isnt good music. damn it hurt me to write that review lol.

That worth the price with the French bonus track « what i wanted» and the japanese bonus track «let my hair down» and the australian bonus track «somebody to love» and the other version of «all good things come to an end» with Chris Martin. You just have to buy the australian single of PROMISCUOUS or the universal single of MANEATER to have the NON-LP song «undercover»... After that you'll have all disponible songs (for the moment)of the so colorful and diversified album «Loose» from Nelly Furtado
PS check if after my review they've not released these songs : «I Am» and «Runaway»

Most artists don't get a second chance after a flop album, even a good flop album, but selling over 5 million copies of her debut album on the strength of the massive hit Like A Bird has earned Nelly Furtado a little leeway. Rewarding her label's faith, Furtado rips open the creative vault and throws down a beat filled, techno heavy, funky nugget of a record that will have the house bouncing. This is not the Nelly Furtado of her first album.

From the synth heavy Timbaland funk of Maneater and the trance-like opening track Afraid, you know this is something completely different than expected. This is creativity, energy, and appropriately considering the record's title, Furtado getting loose. The track Showtime is reminiscent of early Janet Jackson, and Te Busque is like a tango on steroids. In God's Hands is most like her earlier work, a soft and gently sung ballad.

This is a fun album. The only negative is the production, which seems excessive on several tracks, almost a competition to see how many samples and beats could be thrown onto the track at once. Influences on this one range from Missy and Justin Timberlake to Janet Jackson and Sasha and Digweed. This album will be a big hit though, because its 54 minutes of energetic beats and rhythms fits right at home in the club or house party. The import version has three extra songs, none of which particularly stand out, and for the extra money, I don't feel its worth it unless you are a serious, serious fan. Pick up the US edition instead.

A.G. Corwin
St Louis, MO