Album Review: Nelly Furtado – The Ride
2 min read
After half a decade since her last album release, Nelly Furtado returns with a brand new collection of songs in The Ride. John Congleton served as producer on the album. He has worked with an extensive and diverse list of artists including; Blondie, Erykah Badu, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The Roots, St Vincent…In her newest release, Nelly returns to her organic singer songwriter roots similar to her earlier albums Whoa Nelly and Folklore, but taking risks with a bold progressive sound palette of electronica technicolor and natural timbres.
The album explores the disparity between reality and dreams and loss of love through meaningful and strong lyrical content that keeps you engaged while on her ride. Nelly has the ability to capture an essence of sadness and sense of difficulty, but as you listen you don’t feel that way as the music is the opposite in its fresh and somewhat quirky sound.
Much of the subject matter deals with difficulties faced in a relationship, but she tends to speak from an anti-romance point of view, a more realistic approach to the way two lovers can feel about each other singing “have you just grown up and given up and you don’t believe in magic anymore” in Magic and “I don’t feel nothing at all” in Flatline. Cold Hard Truth is in a similar vain when she sings “The cold hard truth is I can make it without you…we were meant to be alone…it’s been a long time coming”. She wears her heavy heart on her sleeve which givens the album a sense of authenticity and draws you in a listener. It’s the perfect antidote to love and Nelly says everything you need to hear.
