Nelly Furtado - Loose

Her first album was too cute for its own good, blunting the force of Nelly Furtado’s adventurous and strong willed personality. Her second release was brilliant, but never caught on. Now, with Loose, the Portuguese-Canadian has put all nine balls in the pocket. From one track to the next, this is a collection that shows her diversity in all its colors. She gets things started with “Afraid,” boasting a tongue-twisting chorus sung by a group of girls who can’t help but crack up with the humorous joy of it all. The single, “Maneater,” is one of the weakest tracks, but is still leagues above the competition (read: Gwen Stefani’s attempt at co-opting harajuki culture on her recent solo misadventure). From the sexy hip-hop give and take with Timbaland on “Promiscuous” to the burgeoning rhythms of "The Busque," an incendiary duet with Juanes, Furtado proves herself a mistress of internationalism who is funny, poetic, and beautiful. Much of it is fast and furious, but she slows down for the occasional ballad. “Showtime” finds her in Alicia Keys territory, and “All Good things Come To An End” closes the album on a melancholy note. Standing out from the bustle of grooves is “In God’s Hands,” a slice of romanticism that insists that, no matter how we screw things up, we can’t completely kill love. [www.nellyfurtado.com]