‘The Spirit Indestructible’ Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtados been putting out an album every three years like clockwork since the turn of the century. Her newest release, The Spirit Indestructible, is her first English record since 2006 (she went all-out Spanish on 2009s Mi Plan), and its a welcome return from the Canadian songstress.
After the commercially successful collaboration with Timbaland on Loose, Furtado turns mainly to producer Rodney Darkchild Jerkins deft hand for an eclectic sound. Her small voice emerges like a towering life force throughout the album, whose themes revolve around nostalgia and celebration of the human spirit.
The record evolves slowly from conventional sounds on the title track to more eerie tracks like Something, to the Latin pulse-quickening vibes of Waiting for the Night and the languorous retro-like Circles. The 33-year-old reminisces about her musical beginnings in Parking Lot, finds her teenage strength on first single Big Hoops (Bigger the Better) and gets quasi-reflective on High Life, the albums only misstep.
But the albums best tracks belong to the collaborations: Nas shines on the Salaam Remi-produced Something, as does Sara Tavares on the diaphanous The Most Beautiful Thing, another Remi production. All one can say is: Whoa, Nelly – here we go again.