FURTADO, NELLY

Portugese-Canadian songstress Nelly Furtado's 2000 debut album, WHOA NELLY!, hit like a bolt out of the blue, its single "I'm Like a Bird" becoming a runaway smash. On the follow-up, FOLKLORE, she asserts her staying power straight out of the gate; the first song finds her repeatedly declaring that she's not just a "One-Trick Pony." Musical proof of that statement can be found throughout the album. Where WHOA NELLY! mixed pop, rock, and R&B production techniques, its successor goes further. The aforementioned opening track for example, features accompaniment by renowned new music ensemble the Kronos Quartet, while "Forca" finds Furtado's celebratory exultation framed by the banjo arpeggios of Bela Fleck, mixed with an electronic rhythm track and percolating tabla. If that's not enough, even the king of Tropicalia, Caetano Veloso, drops in for a duet on the fanciful flamenco-meets-hip-hop reverie "Island of Wonder." The album closes on the quiet, introspective "Childhood Dreams," which slowly builds up moody, atmospheric layers of texture that neatly sign off on Furtado's bid for artistic longevity.

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