Loose (Nelly Furtado album)
Encyclopedia
Loose is the third studio album
by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado
. It was released in North America on June 20, 2006 by Geffen Records
. Timbaland
and his then-protégé Danja produced the bulk of the album, which incorporates influences of dance
, R&B
and hip hop
. The album explores the theme of female sexuality and has been described as introspective or even sad in parts.
The album received criticism because of the sexual image Furtado adopted for the recording, as some critics felt it was a ploy to sell more records. Further controversy rose over accusations of plagiarism on Timbaland's part when recordings were leaked onto YouTube. The record was seen generally as critically and commercially successful. It reached high positions on chart
s across the world, and according to an August 2009 press release, it had sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of 2006-2007 and the twenty-second best-selling album of the 2000s
.
The album was heavily promoted, released in several editions and supported by the Get Loose Tour
, which is the subject of the concert DVD Loose: The Concert
. Eight singles were released from the album, including the US number-one singles "Promiscuous
" and "Say It Right
", which received Grammy Award
nominations for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
, respectively. Other standout singles include the UK number-one single "Maneater
" and the successful song "All Good Things (Come to an End)
".
Jellystone what she referred to as a "hip-hop workshop", in which they would "write rhymes, dissect them, and try different flows over beats." The first producers she worked with were Track
& Field
—who co-produced her first two albums, Whoa, Nelly!
(2000) and Folklore (2003)—and by May 2005, she had collaborated with Swollen Members
and K'naan
. She worked with Nellee Hooper
in London on reggae
-oriented material and with Lester Mendez
in Los Angeles on acoustic
songs. One of the tracks Mendez helped to create is "Te Busqué", which is co-written by and features Juanes
, who collaborated with Furtado on his 2002 song "Fotografía
". During her time in Los Angeles, she worked with Rick Nowels
, who co-wrote and produced "In God's Hands" and "Somebody to Love". In Miami, Florida, Furtado collaborated with Pharrell
(who introduced her to reggaeton
and who gave her a "shout-out" in his 2005 single "Can I Have It Like That
") and Scott Storch
(with whom she recorded a "straight-up rap song") before entering the studio with Timbaland. He and his protégé at the time, Danja, co-produced eight of the tracks, with another produced solely by Danja. For some of the beat
s on the songs, Timbaland finished work on ones already present in the studio that were half-developed or just "nucleuses"; the rest were completely reworked. Furtado recorded around forty tracks for Loose, deciding which she would include based on the sonics of the album—she called Timbaland "a sonic extraterrestrial" who came up with a sequence of songs that flowed, and said that the one she had devised was supposedly unsatisfactory. She recorded an unreleased collaboration with Justin Timberlake
, "Crowd Control", which she described as "kind of sexy" and "a cute, clubby, upbeat, fun track". Other songs considered for inclusion on the album include "Chill Boy", "Friend of Mine", "Go", "Hands in the Air
", "Pretty Boy", "Vice" and "Weak". Furtado said in her diary on her official website that she recorded a remix of "Maneater" with rapper Lil Wayne
; it was only released as part of a compilation album, Timbaland's Remix & Soundtrack Collection
, she also used the instrumental of the song during many television performances of "Maneater". A version of "All Good Things (Come to an End)" featuring vocals by Coldplay
lead singer Chris Martin
, who co-wrote the song, was not released after a request from Martin's label, EMI
. The song was released on the album, but only Furtado's vocals are featured. Furtado explained that "Loose was 90 percent written with a beat first, and then I’d write my melodies and songs to the beat."
musically because she is not faithful to one style. For the first time, Furtado worked with a variety of record producers and followed a more collaborative approach in creating the album. Produced primarily by Timbaland and Danja, Loose showcases Furtado experimenting with a more R&B–hip hop sound and, as she put it, the "surreal, theatrical elements of '80s music". She has categorized the album's sound as punk-hop, which she describes as Eurythmics
-influenced "modern, poppy, spooky music" and stated that "there's a mysterious, after-midnight vibe to [it] that's extremely visceral". Furtado has described the album as "more urban, more American, more hip-hop, [and] more simplified" than her earlier work, which she said was more layered and textured because she "tend[s] to overthink things". In contrast, during her studio time with Timbaland, she said she was "in the VIP boys club of just letting go" and being more impulsive. During the recording of Loose, Furtado listened to several electro and rock musicians, including Bloc Party
, System of a Down
, M.I.A.
, Feist, Queens of the Stone Age
, Metric
and Death from Above 1979
, some of whom influenced the "rock sound" present on the album and the "coughing, laughing, distorted bassline
s" that were kept in the songs deliberately. According to her, music by such bands is "very loud and has a garage
theme" to it, some of which she felt she captured on the album. Furtado has said rock music is "rhythm
ic again" and hip hop-influenced after it had become "so churning and boring." Because the mixing engineers were aware of Timbaland and Furtado's rock influences, the songs were mixed on a mixing board
in the studio instead of "the fancy mixer at the end". Furtado said she preferred the louder volume that process gave to the album because she wanted it to sound like her demo tape
s, which she prefers to her finished albums. She said, "It didn't have that final wash over it; it didn't have the final pressing at the end, save for a couple sounds". The "off-the-cuff" conclusion to production was one of the reasons the album was titled Loose. According to Furtado, instead of "pristine stuff", the album features "really raw" elements such as distorted bass lines, laughter from studio outtakes and general "room for error"; it was named partly after the spontaneous decisions she made when creating the album. The album is also called Loose because it is "the opposite of calculated" and came naturally to Furtado and Timbaland; she called him her "distant musical cousin because he was always pushing boundaries and always carving out his own path", which she believed she was doing with Loose. "I think you have to keep surprising people as an artist, and I like that—I love doing that", she said.
Loose was also named partly for the R&B girl group TLC
, who Furtado said she admires for "taking back their sexuality, showing they were complete women." She said she wanted the album to be "assertive and cool" and "sexy but fun", like TLC, MC Lyte
, Queen Latifah
and Janet Jackson
, who inspired Furtado because, as she put it, she was "comfortable in her sexuality and womanhood" when her 1993 single "That's the Way Love Goes" was released. Furtado has said Loose is not as much about the lyrics, which are not included in the liner notes
, as it is about "indulging in pleasures—whether it's dancing or lovemaking." According to her, she wasn't trying to be sexy with the album—"I think I just am sexy now", she said. The opening track, "Afraid" (featuring rapper Attitude
), is a description of Furtado's fear of what people think of her, and she has said the chorus reminds her of "walking down the hall in high school ... because you live from the outside in. Now that I'm an adult, I care about the inside of me ... Before I said I didn't care about what people thought about me, but I really did." She compared "Maneater
" to how people become "hot on themselves" when dancing in their underwear in front of a mirror. "Promiscuous
" (featuring Timbaland
) was inspired by a flirting exchange Furtado had with Attitude, who co-wrote the song She has characterised the fifth track, "Showtime", as "a proper R&B slow jam
".
The album also features more introspective songs, and The Sunday Times
wrote that it "has a surprising sadness to it." The seventh track, "Te Busqué
", which features Latin
singer Juanes
, is about Furtado's experiences with depression, which she said she has had periodically since she was around seventeen years old. Furtado said she was unsure what "Say It Right
" is about, but that it encapsulates her feeling when she wrote it and "taps into this other sphere"; in an interview for The Sunday Times
, it was mentioned that it is about her breakup with DJ Jasper Gahunia, the father of her daughter. "In God's Hands
", another song on the album, was also inspired by the end of their relationship.
. musicOMH and Allmusic cited the "revitalising" effect of Timbaland on Furtado's music, and The Guardian
called it "slick, smart and surprising." Allmusic wrote in its review, "It's on this final stretch of the album that the Furtado and Timbaland pairing seems like a genuine collaboration, staying true to the Nelly of her first two albums, but given an adventurous production that helps open her songs up ... Timbaland has revitalized Nelly Furtado both creatively and commercially with Loose". She won her first BRIT Award
—Best International Female—in 2007.
Rolling Stone gave it a mixed review. While "Promiscuous" was criticized as "garish", it was noted that "Maneater" "bumps hard enough to qualify as a sequel [to the Hall & Oates
song of the same name], and that's high praise indeed". Vibe stated, "she loses herself in Gwen Stefani–like posturing, as on “Glow,” and ethnic fusions like “No Hay Igual” or “Te Busque." In his consumer guide for The Village Voice
, critic Robert Christgau
gave the album a B rating and named it "dud of the month", indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought. At the upper level it may merely be overrated, disappointing, or dull. Down below it may be contemptible". Christgau viewed that its dance-oriented tracks "might accomplish God's great plan on the dance-floor. But as songs they're not much".
" and "Maneater
", in which she dances around with her midriff
exposed. According to Maclean's
magazine, some said that Furtado's progression was a natural transformation of a pop singer; others believed that she had "sold out
" in an effort to garner record sales, particularly after her second album was a commercial failure in comparison to her first. Maclean's wrote that her makeover "seems a bit forced" and contrasted her with singers such as Madonna
and Emily Haines
of Metric: "[they] seem to be completely in control, even somewhat intimidating in their sexuality: they've made a calculated decision for commercial and feminist reasons. In contrast, Furtado's new, overt sexuality comes off as unoriginal—overdone by thousands of pouty pop stars with a quarter of Furtado's natural talent ... the revamping feels as if it's been imposed rather than chosen by the unique, articulate singer we've seen in the past." Dose
magazine wrote that Furtado's new "highly sexualized" image was manufactured, and noted the involvement in the album's development of Geffen's Jimmy Iovine
, who helped to develop the Pussycat Dolls
, a girl group known for their sexually suggestive dance routines. The writer also criticised Furtado's discussion of her buttocks and apparent rejection of feminism
in a Blender
magazine interview, writing "Girls, do you hear that churning? Those are the ideas of Gloria Steinem
turning in their grave." A writer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
said that cynics could attribute Furtado's commercial success with Loose to her "amped-up sex appeal". The writer added that, the failure of Janet Jackson's album Damita Jo (2004) indicated such a move was not infallible. That Furtado was "still demure compared to many of her competitors"—she avoided sporting lingerie or performing "Christina Aguilera
-style gyrations or calisthenics" in the "Promiscuous" and "Maneater" videos. "Despite its dramatic arrival ... Furtado's new image doesn’t feel calculated", he said. "[She] seems to be thinking less and feeling more, to the benefit of her music."
In early 2007, a video hosted on YouTube led to reports that the song "Do It
", and the Timbaland-produced ringtone "Block Party" that inspired it, used—without authorization—the melody from Finnish demoscene
musician Janne "Tempest" Suni
's song "Acidjazzed Evening", winner of the Assembly 2000
oldskool music competition. Timbaland used the record of C64
adaptation of the song written by Glenn Rune Gallefoss (GRG). Timbaland admitted sampling
the song, but said that he had no time to research its intellectual owner. Hannu Sormunen, a Finnish representative of Universal which represents Nelly Furtado in Finland, commented the controversy as follows in the January 15, 2007 issue of Iltalehti
; "In case that the artist decides to pursue the matter further, it's on him to go to America and confront them with the local use of law. It will require a considerable amount of faith and, of course, money." On February 9, 2007, Timbaland commented on the issue in an MTV interview: "It makes me laugh. The part I don't understand, the dude is
trying to act like I went to his house and took it from his computer. I
don't know him from a can of paint. I'm 15 years deep. That's how you
attack a king? You attack moi? Come on, man. You got to come correct. You
the laughing stock. People are like, 'You can't be serious."
On June 12, 2009, Mikko Välimäki, who is one of the legal counsels of Kernel Records, the owner of the sound recording rights, reported that the case had been filed in Florida.
In January 2008, Turkish newspapers reported that Kalan Müzik
, the record label that released Turkish folk singer Muhlis Akarsu's album Ya Dost Ya Dost, pressed charges against Furtado for the Loose track "Wait for You", which label officials said features the bağlama
instrumental part of Akarsu's song "Allah Allah Desem Gelsem".
, selling more than 34,000 copies in its first week, at that time the year's strongest debut for a Canadian artist. In late July, after Furtado embarked on a short tour of Canada and made a guest appearance on the television show Canadian Idol
, the album returned to number one. It subsequently stayed near the top of the album chart until late January 2007, when it reached number one again for two weeks. It was the third best-selling album of 2006 in Canada, and the highest selling by a female solo artist, with 291,700 copies sold. The Canadian Recording Industry Association
(CRIA) certified Loose five times platinum in May 2007 for shipments of more than 500,000 copies.
It stayed in the top twenty for fifty-seven weeks.
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
chart with first-week sales of 219,000; it was certified platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) and ranked sixty-fourth on the Billboard 2006 year-end chart. Loose exited the US top ten in August 2006 but re-entered it in March 2007, and according to Nielsen SoundScan
in October 2007, it had sold two million units. The album ranked thirty-second on the Billboard 2007 year-end chart.
In the United Kingdom, Loose entered the albums chart at number five; in its forty-third week, it reached number four, and it was certified double platinum for shipments to retailers of more than 600,000 copies. As of July 2007, it had sold roughly 827,000 copies in the UK. The record was certified two times platinum in Australia for more than 140,000 units shipped; it reached number four there and was placed forty-fourth on the Australian Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) list of 2006 bestsellers. The album entered the chart in Germany at number one, spent a record forty-nine weeks in the German top ten, and was certified five times platinum. Loose reached number one on the European Top 100 Albums chart in early 2007, spending ten non-consecutive weeks at number one. By March 2007, it had been certified gold or platinum in twenty-five countries. According to a Geffen Records press release, Loose had sold more than seven million copies by November 2007.
" featuring Calle 13
was issued as a club
single in the US. During the same period, "Promiscuous
" (featuring Timbaland) was released for digital download
in North America. It was Furtado's first single to top the US Hot 100
and was released in Australia, where it reached the top five. The lead single in Europe and Latin America, "Maneater
", was released in late May to early June 2006. It became Furtado's first single to top the UK Singles Chart
and made the top ten in other countries; it reached the top five in Germany and the top twenty in France and Latin America.
The second single in Europe, "Promiscuous", was released in late August to early September 2006 but it did not perform as well as "Maneater". It peaked inside the top five in the UK and the top ten in other countries, including Germany, and it reached the top twenty in France. During the same period, "Maneater" began its run as the second single in North America; it was not as successful as "Promiscuous", reaching number twenty-two in Canada and the top twenty in the US, though it became a top five single on the ARIA Singles Chart
.
Releases of the third North American single, "Say It Right
", and the third Europe single, "All Good Things (Come to an End)
", took place in November and December, and the third Latin American single, "Promiscuous", was released in January 2007. "Say It Right" went to number one in the US and on the Nielsen BDS
airplay chart in Canada (where it was not given a commercial release), and it reached the top five in Australia. "All Good Things (Come to an End)" reached number one on the pan-European singles chart and the top five in the UK, and it was the album's most successful single in Germany, where it topped the chart, and in France, where it became a top ten hit. After the release of "Say It Right" in Europe in March 2007, the single reached the top five in Germany and the top ten in the UK, where it was a download-only release. The video for "All Good Things (Come to an End)" was released in North America during this period. "All Good Things (Come to an End)" peaked in the top five in Canada and in the top twenty in Australia, though it only reached the lower half of the US Hot 100.
The album's fifth UK single was "In God's Hands
", and the fifth single in North America was "Do It
". In May 2007, Furtado mentioned the possibility of a sixth or seventh single, mentioning the examples of Nickelback
's All the Right Reasons
and The Pussycat Dolls
' PCD
as albums that were being supported by seventh singles at the time. Furtado said she liked the possibility because she thought Loose was good and "want[ed] people to hear as much of it as possible" before she took time off.
Two other songs, "Te Busqué
" and "No Hay Igual", were released as singles in other regions of the world. "Te Busqué" was the lead single in Spain because of the limited success hip-hop/R&B-influenced songs in the style of "Promiscuous" and "Maneater" achieved in the country. It was not released in the United States, but it was given airplay on Latin music
radio stations and reached the top forty on Billboard
s Latin Pop Airplay chart. The "No Hay Igual" remix featuring Calle 13 was released in Latin America, and the music video debuted in September.
During the promotion of Loose, Furtado performed at major music festivals and award shows. In Europe, she appeared at Rock am Ring and Rock-im-Park in Germany and the Pinkpop Festival in the Netherlands in June 2006. She performed in Canada at the Calgary Stampede
, the Ottawa Bluesfest
in July, and at the Ovation Music Festival
in September. Shortly after her August 2006 performance at the Summer Sonic
in Japan, she sang at the Teen Choice Awards
. In November, she contributed to the entertainment during the World Music Awards
, the American Music Awards and the 94th Grey Cup
halftime show. She performed at the 2007 NRJ Music Awards, held in January 2007. Furtado embarked on a world concert tour, the Get Loose Tour
, on February 16, 2007 in the UK, in support of the album; the tour included thirty-one dates in Europe and Canada, with additional shows in the US, Japan, Australia and Latin America. Furtado described the show as a "full sensory experience" with "a beginning, middle and end ... [it] takes you on a journey", also stressing the importance of crowd involvement and "spontaneity and rawness, because those are my roots, you know? I started by doing club shows, and that's the energy I love, the raw club energy of just feeling like you're rocking out." Though Furtado said choreographed dance routines were to be included in the show, she described it as "music-based ... Everything else is just to keep it sophisticated and sensual and fun." Furtado said she hoped to have Chris Martin, Juanes, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Calle 13 to guest on the tour, and have a "revolving door" of opening acts with Latin musicians opening in the US.
Disc 2:
Credits adapted from the Loose liner notes.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
. It was released in North America on June 20, 2006 by Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
. Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
and his then-protégé Danja produced the bulk of the album, which incorporates influences of dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
, R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
. The album explores the theme of female sexuality and has been described as introspective or even sad in parts.
The album received criticism because of the sexual image Furtado adopted for the recording, as some critics felt it was a ploy to sell more records. Further controversy rose over accusations of plagiarism on Timbaland's part when recordings were leaked onto YouTube. The record was seen generally as critically and commercially successful. It reached high positions on chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
s across the world, and according to an August 2009 press release, it had sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of 2006-2007 and the twenty-second best-selling album of the 2000s
2000s in music
For music from a year in the 2000s, go to 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 2000s....
.
The album was heavily promoted, released in several editions and supported by the Get Loose Tour
Get Loose Tour
The Get Loose Tour was Canadian pop singer Nelly Furtado's 2007-2008 concert tour, in support of her 2006 album Loose. Although the tour was her third overall, it was the first time her shows included production on a grand scale...
, which is the subject of the concert DVD Loose: The Concert
Loose: The Concert
Loose: The Concert is the first live DVD from the Canadian pop singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It is a recording of Nelly Furtado's live performance at the Air Canada Centre, in Toronto, Canada, on April 4, 2007. The DVD and accompanying CD was released by Festival Mushroom and Warner Bros...
. Eight singles were released from the album, including the US number-one singles "Promiscuous
Promiscuous (song)
"Promiscuous" is a dance-pop/R&B song by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado, from the album, Loose . It was written by Furtado, Timothy "Attitude" Clayton, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills, with the latter pair handling production of the song...
" and "Say It Right
Say It Right
"Say It Right" is a song recorded by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado, from her third studio album, Loose . Written by Furtado, Tim "Timbaland" Mosley and Nate "Danja" Hills, the song was inspired by, as Furtado described it, the "spooky, keyboard-driven pop sound" of the band Eurythmics,...
", which received Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers collaborate...
and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. The award goes to the artist...
, respectively. Other standout singles include the UK number-one single "Maneater
Maneater (Nelly Furtado song)
"Maneater" is a song written by Nelly Furtado, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, Jim Beanz and Nate "Danja" Hills for Furtado's third album, Loose . It was co-produced by Timbaland and Danja and includes influences of 1980s music by artists such as Eurythmics and Hall & Oates...
" and the successful song "All Good Things (Come to an End)
All Good Things (Come to an End)
"All Good Things " is a pop song written by singer Nelly Furtado, Timbaland, Danja and Chris Martin for Furtado's third album, Loose . It was co-produced by Timbaland and Danja and released as the album's third European single in November 2006 . It was released as the fourth single in the United...
".
Production
Furtado began work on Loose by holding with emceeMaster of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
Jellystone what she referred to as a "hip-hop workshop", in which they would "write rhymes, dissect them, and try different flows over beats." The first producers she worked with were Track
Gerald Eaton
Gerald Eaton is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and music producer, originally from Jamaica.He is the lead singer for the R&B-pop group The Philosopher Kings, which reached its peak popularity in the 1990s...
& Field
Brian West (musician)
Brian West was the lead guitarist for the Canadian band The Philosopher Kings. His partner, Gerald Eaton began the record label Track and Field Records after they were nominated for several awards as a production duo under the name of Track and Field...
—who co-produced her first two albums, Whoa, Nelly!
Whoa, Nelly!
Whoa, Nelly! was well received by critics for its eccentric, yet intriguing instrumentations as well as Furtado's vocals. It currently holds a score of 79 from Metacritic...
(2000) and Folklore (2003)—and by May 2005, she had collaborated with Swollen Members
Swollen Members
Swollen Members is a Canadian hip hop group from Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada consisting mainly of the duo Mad Child, and Prevail. Frequent collaborators include vocalist Moka Only and producer Rob the Viking, an official group member since 2002...
and K'naan
K'naan
K'naan , born Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.-Biography:Born in Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most...
. She worked with Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper is a British producer/remixer/composer best known for his work with Björk, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Sinéad O'Connor, Garbage, Andrea Corr, U2, Sneaker Pimps, Soul II Soul and Massive Attack...
in London on reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
-oriented material and with Lester Mendez
Lester Mendez
Lester Mendez is an American record producer and songwriter. His production/writing credits include a multitude of successful hits including Shakira's "Underneath Your Clothes" and "La Tortura", Jessica Simpson's "A Public Affair", and Nelly Furtado's "Te Busqué".Mendez worked with Carlos Santana...
in Los Angeles on acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
songs. One of the tracks Mendez helped to create is "Te Busqué", which is co-written by and features Juanes
Juanes
Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez , better known as Juanes is a Colombian musician who was a member of heavy metal band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. In 2000, his solo debut album Fíjate Bien won three Latin Grammy Awards.Juanes has sold more than 13 million albums...
, who collaborated with Furtado on his 2002 song "Fotografía
Fotografía
"Fotografía" is a song recorded by Juanes and Nelly Furtado for Juanes' second studio album, Un Día Normal .The duet, which was followed by another , was extremely commercially successful: it reached number one on the U.S...
". During her time in Los Angeles, she worked with Rick Nowels
Rick Nowels
Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is a Grammy / Ivor Novello award-winning songwriter/producer who has worked with many of the most vibrant artists in contemporary music...
, who co-wrote and produced "In God's Hands" and "Somebody to Love". In Miami, Florida, Furtado collaborated with Pharrell
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
(who introduced her to reggaeton
Reggaeton
Reggaeton is a form of Puerto Rican and Latin American urban and Caribbean music. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico but is also has roots from Reggae en Español from Panama and Puerto Rico and...
and who gave her a "shout-out" in his 2005 single "Can I Have It Like That
Can I Have It like That
"Can I Have It Like That" is a song performed by rapper Pharrell Williams featuring Gwen Stefani. It was written and produced by Williams for his 2006 debut album In My Mind, and the song is the opening track. The song's hook comes from a one-line contribution from Stefani, used as part of a...
") and Scott Storch
Scott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
(with whom she recorded a "straight-up rap song") before entering the studio with Timbaland. He and his protégé at the time, Danja, co-produced eight of the tracks, with another produced solely by Danja. For some of the beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
s on the songs, Timbaland finished work on ones already present in the studio that were half-developed or just "nucleuses"; the rest were completely reworked. Furtado recorded around forty tracks for Loose, deciding which she would include based on the sonics of the album—she called Timbaland "a sonic extraterrestrial" who came up with a sequence of songs that flowed, and said that the one she had devised was supposedly unsatisfactory. She recorded an unreleased collaboration with Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
, "Crowd Control", which she described as "kind of sexy" and "a cute, clubby, upbeat, fun track". Other songs considered for inclusion on the album include "Chill Boy", "Friend of Mine", "Go", "Hands in the Air
Manos al Aire
"Manos al Aire" is a Latin pop song recorded by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado. Written by Furtado, Alex Cuba and James Bryan, it was produced by Furtado and Bryan for the former's fourth studio album, Mi Plan...
", "Pretty Boy", "Vice" and "Weak". Furtado said in her diary on her official website that she recorded a remix of "Maneater" with rapper Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
; it was only released as part of a compilation album, Timbaland's Remix & Soundtrack Collection
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, she also used the instrumental of the song during many television performances of "Maneater". A version of "All Good Things (Come to an End)" featuring vocals by Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
lead singer Chris Martin
Chris Martin
Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin is an English song-writer, who is the lead vocalist, pianist and rhythm guitarist of the band Coldplay. He is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.-Early life:...
, who co-wrote the song, was not released after a request from Martin's label, EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. The song was released on the album, but only Furtado's vocals are featured. Furtado explained that "Loose was 90 percent written with a beat first, and then I’d write my melodies and songs to the beat."
Style and themes
Furtado said that with the release of her albums before Loose, she had wanted to prove herself as a musician and earn respect from listeners through using many different instruments on an album, which most hip hop musicians did not do. After she believed she had accomplished that, she felt she had freedom to make the type of music she "really love[d]". Furtado said her previous problem with hip hop was that she did not think it was good enough to base one of her albums on, but that she then asked herself why she was being "pretentious". The album represents her separating from such notions and, in her words, "jumping in the deep end of the pool—'Ahh, screw it, this is fun!'". Furtado said she considers herself "all over the map" and promiscuousPromiscuity
In humans, promiscuity refers to less discriminating casual sex with many sexual partners. The term carries a moral or religious judgement and is viewed in the context of the mainstream social ideal for sexual activity to take place within exclusive committed relationships...
musically because she is not faithful to one style. For the first time, Furtado worked with a variety of record producers and followed a more collaborative approach in creating the album. Produced primarily by Timbaland and Danja, Loose showcases Furtado experimenting with a more R&B–hip hop sound and, as she put it, the "surreal, theatrical elements of '80s music". She has categorized the album's sound as punk-hop, which she describes as Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
-influenced "modern, poppy, spooky music" and stated that "there's a mysterious, after-midnight vibe to [it] that's extremely visceral". Furtado has described the album as "more urban, more American, more hip-hop, [and] more simplified" than her earlier work, which she said was more layered and textured because she "tend[s] to overthink things". In contrast, during her studio time with Timbaland, she said she was "in the VIP boys club of just letting go" and being more impulsive. During the recording of Loose, Furtado listened to several electro and rock musicians, including Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
, System of a Down
System of a Down
System of a Down, also known by the acronym SOAD and often shortened to System, is a rock band from Southern California. The band was formed in 1994. It consists of Serj Tankian , Daron Malakian , Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan...
, M.I.A.
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
, Feist, Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, United States, formed in 1997. The band's line-up has always included founding member Josh Homme , with the current line-up including longtime members Troy Van Leeuwen and Joey Castillo , alongside Michael Shuman and...
, Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
and Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...
, some of whom influenced the "rock sound" present on the album and the "coughing, laughing, distorted bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
s" that were kept in the songs deliberately. According to her, music by such bands is "very loud and has a garage
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
theme" to it, some of which she felt she captured on the album. Furtado has said rock music is "rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
ic again" and hip hop-influenced after it had become "so churning and boring." Because the mixing engineers were aware of Timbaland and Furtado's rock influences, the songs were mixed on a mixing board
Mixing console
In professional audio, a mixing console, or audio mixer, also called a sound board, mixing desk, or mixer is an electronic device for combining , routing, and changing the level, timbre and/or dynamics of audio signals. A mixer can mix analog or digital signals, depending on the type of mixer...
in the studio instead of "the fancy mixer at the end". Furtado said she preferred the louder volume that process gave to the album because she wanted it to sound like her demo tape
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
s, which she prefers to her finished albums. She said, "It didn't have that final wash over it; it didn't have the final pressing at the end, save for a couple sounds". The "off-the-cuff" conclusion to production was one of the reasons the album was titled Loose. According to Furtado, instead of "pristine stuff", the album features "really raw" elements such as distorted bass lines, laughter from studio outtakes and general "room for error"; it was named partly after the spontaneous decisions she made when creating the album. The album is also called Loose because it is "the opposite of calculated" and came naturally to Furtado and Timbaland; she called him her "distant musical cousin because he was always pushing boundaries and always carving out his own path", which she believed she was doing with Loose. "I think you have to keep surprising people as an artist, and I like that—I love doing that", she said.
Loose was also named partly for the R&B girl group TLC
TLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
, who Furtado said she admires for "taking back their sexuality, showing they were complete women." She said she wanted the album to be "assertive and cool" and "sexy but fun", like TLC, MC Lyte
MC Lyte
MC Lyte is an American rapper who first gained fame in the late-1980s becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full album with 1988's critically acclaimed Lyte as a Rock.-Early life:...
, Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
and Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, who inspired Furtado because, as she put it, she was "comfortable in her sexuality and womanhood" when her 1993 single "That's the Way Love Goes" was released. Furtado has said Loose is not as much about the lyrics, which are not included in the liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
, as it is about "indulging in pleasures—whether it's dancing or lovemaking." According to her, she wasn't trying to be sexy with the album—"I think I just am sexy now", she said. The opening track, "Afraid" (featuring rapper Attitude
Attitude (rapper)
Timothy Clayton, , better known by his stage name Attitude, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer.- Biography :...
), is a description of Furtado's fear of what people think of her, and she has said the chorus reminds her of "walking down the hall in high school ... because you live from the outside in. Now that I'm an adult, I care about the inside of me ... Before I said I didn't care about what people thought about me, but I really did." She compared "Maneater
Maneater (Nelly Furtado song)
"Maneater" is a song written by Nelly Furtado, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, Jim Beanz and Nate "Danja" Hills for Furtado's third album, Loose . It was co-produced by Timbaland and Danja and includes influences of 1980s music by artists such as Eurythmics and Hall & Oates...
" to how people become "hot on themselves" when dancing in their underwear in front of a mirror. "Promiscuous
Promiscuous (song)
"Promiscuous" is a dance-pop/R&B song by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado, from the album, Loose . It was written by Furtado, Timothy "Attitude" Clayton, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills, with the latter pair handling production of the song...
" (featuring Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
) was inspired by a flirting exchange Furtado had with Attitude, who co-wrote the song She has characterised the fifth track, "Showtime", as "a proper R&B slow jam
Slow jam
A slow jam an umbrella term for music with R&B and Soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads or down tempo songs. The term is most commonly reserved for soft-sounding songs with heavily emotional or romantic lyrical content. This definition has led to intense debate over whether...
".
The album also features more introspective songs, and The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
wrote that it "has a surprising sadness to it." The seventh track, "Te Busqué
Te Busqué
"Te Busqué" is a song written by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado and Colombian musicians Juanes and Lester Mendez for Furtado's third album, Loose . It features Juanes and was released as the album's first single in Spain, and as the fourth in Latin America...
", which features Latin
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
singer Juanes
Juanes
Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez , better known as Juanes is a Colombian musician who was a member of heavy metal band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. In 2000, his solo debut album Fíjate Bien won three Latin Grammy Awards.Juanes has sold more than 13 million albums...
, is about Furtado's experiences with depression, which she said she has had periodically since she was around seventeen years old. Furtado said she was unsure what "Say It Right
Say It Right
"Say It Right" is a song recorded by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado, from her third studio album, Loose . Written by Furtado, Tim "Timbaland" Mosley and Nate "Danja" Hills, the song was inspired by, as Furtado described it, the "spooky, keyboard-driven pop sound" of the band Eurythmics,...
" is about, but that it encapsulates her feeling when she wrote it and "taps into this other sphere"; in an interview for The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, it was mentioned that it is about her breakup with DJ Jasper Gahunia, the father of her daughter. "In God's Hands
In God's Hands (song)
"In God's Hands" is a song written and produced by Nelly Furtado and Rick Nowels for Furtado's third album, Loose . It is about Furtado's breakup with DJ Jasper Gahunia, the father of her daughter. According to Furtado in May 2006, the song was "as far as I was willing to go in terms of pop right...
", another song on the album, was also inspired by the end of their relationship.
Critical reception
Loose received positive reviews from critics, receiving a 71/100 rating on the review scores aggregate website MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. musicOMH and Allmusic cited the "revitalising" effect of Timbaland on Furtado's music, and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called it "slick, smart and surprising." Allmusic wrote in its review, "It's on this final stretch of the album that the Furtado and Timbaland pairing seems like a genuine collaboration, staying true to the Nelly of her first two albums, but given an adventurous production that helps open her songs up ... Timbaland has revitalized Nelly Furtado both creatively and commercially with Loose". She won her first BRIT Award
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
—Best International Female—in 2007.
Rolling Stone gave it a mixed review. While "Promiscuous" was criticized as "garish", it was noted that "Maneater" "bumps hard enough to qualify as a sequel [to the Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
song of the same name], and that's high praise indeed". Vibe stated, "she loses herself in Gwen Stefani–like posturing, as on “Glow,” and ethnic fusions like “No Hay Igual” or “Te Busque." In his consumer guide for The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album a B rating and named it "dud of the month", indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought. At the upper level it may merely be overrated, disappointing, or dull. Down below it may be contemptible". Christgau viewed that its dance-oriented tracks "might accomplish God's great plan on the dance-floor. But as songs they're not much".
Controversy
Considerable attention was generated by the more sexual image of Furtado presented in promotion and publicity for the album, and in particular the music videos for "PromiscuousPromiscuous (song)
"Promiscuous" is a dance-pop/R&B song by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado, from the album, Loose . It was written by Furtado, Timothy "Attitude" Clayton, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills, with the latter pair handling production of the song...
" and "Maneater
Maneater (Nelly Furtado song)
"Maneater" is a song written by Nelly Furtado, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, Jim Beanz and Nate "Danja" Hills for Furtado's third album, Loose . It was co-produced by Timbaland and Danja and includes influences of 1980s music by artists such as Eurythmics and Hall & Oates...
", in which she dances around with her midriff
Midriff
Midriff is a particular term to denominate the section of the human body between the thorax/chest and the pelvis/hips. It is used as a genteel avoidance of synonymous belly ; as a synonym for waist; and as a name for the area around the diaphragm Midriff is a particular term to denominate the...
exposed. According to Maclean's
Maclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
magazine, some said that Furtado's progression was a natural transformation of a pop singer; others believed that she had "sold out
Selling out
"Selling out" is the compromising of integrity, morality, or principles in exchange for money or "success" . It is commonly associated with attempts to tailor material to a mainstream audience...
" in an effort to garner record sales, particularly after her second album was a commercial failure in comparison to her first. Maclean's wrote that her makeover "seems a bit forced" and contrasted her with singers such as Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and Emily Haines
Emily Haines
Emily Haines is a Canadian indie rock singer-songwriter. She is the lead singer and keyboardist of the band Metric and a member of Broken Social Scene. As a solo artist, she performed with her own name and under the alias Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton...
of Metric: "[they] seem to be completely in control, even somewhat intimidating in their sexuality: they've made a calculated decision for commercial and feminist reasons. In contrast, Furtado's new, overt sexuality comes off as unoriginal—overdone by thousands of pouty pop stars with a quarter of Furtado's natural talent ... the revamping feels as if it's been imposed rather than chosen by the unique, articulate singer we've seen in the past." Dose
Dose (magazine)
Dose is a daily Canadian news website and former daily print magazine.Dose was a mixture of standalone features and coverage of daily news, sometimes from an irreverent perspective...
magazine wrote that Furtado's new "highly sexualized" image was manufactured, and noted the involvement in the album's development of Geffen's Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
, who helped to develop the Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
, a girl group known for their sexually suggestive dance routines. The writer also criticised Furtado's discussion of her buttocks and apparent rejection of feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
in a Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
magazine interview, writing "Girls, do you hear that churning? Those are the ideas of Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s...
turning in their grave." A writer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
said that cynics could attribute Furtado's commercial success with Loose to her "amped-up sex appeal". The writer added that, the failure of Janet Jackson's album Damita Jo (2004) indicated such a move was not infallible. That Furtado was "still demure compared to many of her competitors"—she avoided sporting lingerie or performing "Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
-style gyrations or calisthenics" in the "Promiscuous" and "Maneater" videos. "Despite its dramatic arrival ... Furtado's new image doesn’t feel calculated", he said. "[She] seems to be thinking less and feeling more, to the benefit of her music."
In early 2007, a video hosted on YouTube led to reports that the song "Do It
Do It
"Do It" is a popsong by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado for her third album, Loose . It was produced by Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills...
", and the Timbaland-produced ringtone "Block Party" that inspired it, used—without authorization—the melody from Finnish demoscene
Demoscene
The demoscene is a computer art subculture that specializes in producing demos, which are non-interactive audio-visual presentations that run in real-time on a computer...
musician Janne "Tempest" Suni
Janne Suni
Janne "Tempest" Suni is a Finnish demoscener, pixel artist and tracker musician, and a member of the demogroup Fairlight.He is best known outside the demoscene for being the creator of the song "Acidjazzed Evening", the melody of which R&B producer Timbaland used without permission, in the 2006...
's song "Acidjazzed Evening", winner of the Assembly 2000
Assembly (demo party)
The Assembly demo party is a demoscene and gaming event in Finland. The main organizers of the event are Pekka Aakko and Jussi Laakkonen . The event takes place every year between late July and early August, and lasts three to four days...
oldskool music competition. Timbaland used the record of C64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
adaptation of the song written by Glenn Rune Gallefoss (GRG). Timbaland admitted sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
the song, but said that he had no time to research its intellectual owner. Hannu Sormunen, a Finnish representative of Universal which represents Nelly Furtado in Finland, commented the controversy as follows in the January 15, 2007 issue of Iltalehti
Iltalehti
Iltalehti is a daily tabloid newspaper and the third largest newspaper in Finland. Of tabloid newspapers, Iltalehti has a market share of 40% and its biggest rival Ilta-Sanomat has a market share of 60%...
; "In case that the artist decides to pursue the matter further, it's on him to go to America and confront them with the local use of law. It will require a considerable amount of faith and, of course, money." On February 9, 2007, Timbaland commented on the issue in an MTV interview: "It makes me laugh. The part I don't understand, the dude is
trying to act like I went to his house and took it from his computer. I
don't know him from a can of paint. I'm 15 years deep. That's how you
attack a king? You attack moi? Come on, man. You got to come correct. You
the laughing stock. People are like, 'You can't be serious."
On June 12, 2009, Mikko Välimäki, who is one of the legal counsels of Kernel Records, the owner of the sound recording rights, reported that the case had been filed in Florida.
In January 2008, Turkish newspapers reported that Kalan Müzik
Kalan Müzik
Kalan Müzik or Kalan Music for the West is a Turkish independent record label company based in Istanbul. It was founded in 1991 by Hasan Saltık. It specializes in releasing Saltık's recordings of classical and traditional ethnic and folk music from Turkey and the surrounding region. It is sometimes...
, the record label that released Turkish folk singer Muhlis Akarsu's album Ya Dost Ya Dost, pressed charges against Furtado for the Loose track "Wait for You", which label officials said features the bağlama
Baglama
thumb|180px|Cura and bağlamaThe bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia....
instrumental part of Akarsu's song "Allah Allah Desem Gelsem".
Chart performance
Loose debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums ChartCanadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
, selling more than 34,000 copies in its first week, at that time the year's strongest debut for a Canadian artist. In late July, after Furtado embarked on a short tour of Canada and made a guest appearance on the television show Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol
Canadian Idol is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show Pop Idol. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dore was the "roving reporter" for the first three seasons...
, the album returned to number one. It subsequently stayed near the top of the album chart until late January 2007, when it reached number one again for two weeks. It was the third best-selling album of 2006 in Canada, and the highest selling by a female solo artist, with 291,700 copies sold. The Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
(CRIA) certified Loose five times platinum in May 2007 for shipments of more than 500,000 copies.
It stayed in the top twenty for fifty-seven weeks.
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart with first-week sales of 219,000; it was certified platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) and ranked sixty-fourth on the Billboard 2006 year-end chart. Loose exited the US top ten in August 2006 but re-entered it in March 2007, and according to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
in October 2007, it had sold two million units. The album ranked thirty-second on the Billboard 2007 year-end chart.
In the United Kingdom, Loose entered the albums chart at number five; in its forty-third week, it reached number four, and it was certified double platinum for shipments to retailers of more than 600,000 copies. As of July 2007, it had sold roughly 827,000 copies in the UK. The record was certified two times platinum in Australia for more than 140,000 units shipped; it reached number four there and was placed forty-fourth on the Australian Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) list of 2006 bestsellers. The album entered the chart in Germany at number one, spent a record forty-nine weeks in the German top ten, and was certified five times platinum. Loose reached number one on the European Top 100 Albums chart in early 2007, spending ten non-consecutive weeks at number one. By March 2007, it had been certified gold or platinum in twenty-five countries. According to a Geffen Records press release, Loose had sold more than seven million copies by November 2007.
Singles
In April 2006, a remix of "No Hay IgualNo Hay Igual
"No Hay Igual" is a hip hop/R&B song written by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado, Tim "Timbaland" Mosley, Nate "Danja" Hills and Nisan Stewart, and produced by Timbaland, Danja and Stewart for Furtado's third album Loose...
" featuring Calle 13
Calle 13 (band)
Calle 13 is a band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar , who calls himself Residente and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez , who calls himself Visitante Calle 13 is a band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar (born February 23, 1978 in Hato Rey, a subsection of San Juan, Puerto Rico), who calls...
was issued as a club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
single in the US. During the same period, "Promiscuous
Promiscuous (song)
"Promiscuous" is a dance-pop/R&B song by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado, from the album, Loose . It was written by Furtado, Timothy "Attitude" Clayton, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills, with the latter pair handling production of the song...
" (featuring Timbaland) was released for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
in North America. It was Furtado's first single to top the US Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and was released in Australia, where it reached the top five. The lead single in Europe and Latin America, "Maneater
Maneater (Nelly Furtado song)
"Maneater" is a song written by Nelly Furtado, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, Jim Beanz and Nate "Danja" Hills for Furtado's third album, Loose . It was co-produced by Timbaland and Danja and includes influences of 1980s music by artists such as Eurythmics and Hall & Oates...
", was released in late May to early June 2006. It became Furtado's first single to top the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and made the top ten in other countries; it reached the top five in Germany and the top twenty in France and Latin America.
The second single in Europe, "Promiscuous", was released in late August to early September 2006 but it did not perform as well as "Maneater". It peaked inside the top five in the UK and the top ten in other countries, including Germany, and it reached the top twenty in France. During the same period, "Maneater" began its run as the second single in North America; it was not as successful as "Promiscuous", reaching number twenty-two in Canada and the top twenty in the US, though it became a top five single on the ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
.
Releases of the third North American single, "Say It Right
Say It Right
"Say It Right" is a song recorded by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado, from her third studio album, Loose . Written by Furtado, Tim "Timbaland" Mosley and Nate "Danja" Hills, the song was inspired by, as Furtado described it, the "spooky, keyboard-driven pop sound" of the band Eurythmics,...
", and the third Europe single, "All Good Things (Come to an End)
All Good Things (Come to an End)
"All Good Things " is a pop song written by singer Nelly Furtado, Timbaland, Danja and Chris Martin for Furtado's third album, Loose . It was co-produced by Timbaland and Danja and released as the album's third European single in November 2006 . It was released as the fourth single in the United...
", took place in November and December, and the third Latin American single, "Promiscuous", was released in January 2007. "Say It Right" went to number one in the US and on the Nielsen BDS
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, better known as BDS, is a service that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs based on the number of spins and detections...
airplay chart in Canada (where it was not given a commercial release), and it reached the top five in Australia. "All Good Things (Come to an End)" reached number one on the pan-European singles chart and the top five in the UK, and it was the album's most successful single in Germany, where it topped the chart, and in France, where it became a top ten hit. After the release of "Say It Right" in Europe in March 2007, the single reached the top five in Germany and the top ten in the UK, where it was a download-only release. The video for "All Good Things (Come to an End)" was released in North America during this period. "All Good Things (Come to an End)" peaked in the top five in Canada and in the top twenty in Australia, though it only reached the lower half of the US Hot 100.
The album's fifth UK single was "In God's Hands
In God's Hands (song)
"In God's Hands" is a song written and produced by Nelly Furtado and Rick Nowels for Furtado's third album, Loose . It is about Furtado's breakup with DJ Jasper Gahunia, the father of her daughter. According to Furtado in May 2006, the song was "as far as I was willing to go in terms of pop right...
", and the fifth single in North America was "Do It
Do It
"Do It" is a popsong by Canadian recording artist Nelly Furtado for her third album, Loose . It was produced by Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills...
". In May 2007, Furtado mentioned the possibility of a sixth or seventh single, mentioning the examples of Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
's All the Right Reasons
All the Right Reasons
All the Right Reasons is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Nickelback, released on October 4, 2005. It is the band's first album with former 3 Doors Down drummer Daniel Adair, who replaced Ryan Vikedal in January 2005...
and The Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
' PCD
PCD (album)
PCD is the debut album by American girl group the Pussycat Dolls, released on September 13, 2005 in the United States, by A&M Records. After recruiting Melody Thornton and Nicole Scherzinger and releasing two singles, they released this album...
as albums that were being supported by seventh singles at the time. Furtado said she liked the possibility because she thought Loose was good and "want[ed] people to hear as much of it as possible" before she took time off.
Two other songs, "Te Busqué
Te Busqué
"Te Busqué" is a song written by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado and Colombian musicians Juanes and Lester Mendez for Furtado's third album, Loose . It features Juanes and was released as the album's first single in Spain, and as the fourth in Latin America...
" and "No Hay Igual", were released as singles in other regions of the world. "Te Busqué" was the lead single in Spain because of the limited success hip-hop/R&B-influenced songs in the style of "Promiscuous" and "Maneater" achieved in the country. It was not released in the United States, but it was given airplay on Latin music
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
radio stations and reached the top forty on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Latin Pop Airplay chart. The "No Hay Igual" remix featuring Calle 13 was released in Latin America, and the music video debuted in September.
Promotion
Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway,...
, the Ottawa Bluesfest
Ottawa Bluesfest
The Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest is an annual outdoor music festival that takes place each July in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. While ostensibly focused on blues, the festival has increasingly showcased mainstream pop and rock acts in recent years...
in July, and at the Ovation Music Festival
Ovation Music Festival
In September 2005, Stratford, Ontario hosted the Ovation Music Festival, organized by local resident Chris Parson. Local musicians opened for several big name Canadian groups including Sum 41, Simple Plan, Our Lady Peace and Barenaked Ladies....
in September. Shortly after her August 2006 performance at the Summer Sonic
Summer Sonic Festival
The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-days rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa....
in Japan, she sang at the Teen Choice Awards
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
. In November, she contributed to the entertainment during the World Music Awards
World Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international awards show founded in 1989 that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show...
, the American Music Awards and the 94th Grey Cup
94th Grey Cup
The 94th Grey Cup game took place on November 19, 2006, at Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba before 44,786 fans. Ticket prices ranged from $141 and $275.The game decided the championship of the 2006 Canadian Football League season...
halftime show. She performed at the 2007 NRJ Music Awards, held in January 2007. Furtado embarked on a world concert tour, the Get Loose Tour
Get Loose Tour
The Get Loose Tour was Canadian pop singer Nelly Furtado's 2007-2008 concert tour, in support of her 2006 album Loose. Although the tour was her third overall, it was the first time her shows included production on a grand scale...
, on February 16, 2007 in the UK, in support of the album; the tour included thirty-one dates in Europe and Canada, with additional shows in the US, Japan, Australia and Latin America. Furtado described the show as a "full sensory experience" with "a beginning, middle and end ... [it] takes you on a journey", also stressing the importance of crowd involvement and "spontaneity and rawness, because those are my roots, you know? I started by doing club shows, and that's the energy I love, the raw club energy of just feeling like you're rocking out." Though Furtado said choreographed dance routines were to be included in the show, she described it as "music-based ... Everything else is just to keep it sophisticated and sensual and fun." Furtado said she hoped to have Chris Martin, Juanes, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Calle 13 to guest on the tour, and have a "revolving door" of opening acts with Latin musicians opening in the US.
Track listing
- The iTunes edition has the interludes as separate tracks, and CD versions have the interludes attached to the previous track.
- In Spain and Latin America, the Spanish version of "Te Busqué" is track 7, and the English version is the bonus track.
International Tour Edition (Limited Deluxe Edition)
Disc 1 - Includes the 13 standard tracks as above.Disc 2:
- "Let My Hair Down" – 3:38
- "Undercover" – 3:56
- "Runaway" – 4:16 (also on "Te Busqué" CD single) (produced by Rick Nowels)
- "Te Busque" (Spanish version) – 3:38
- "No Hay Igual" (Remix) (featuring Calle 13) – 3:40
- "All Good Things (Come to an End)" (Remix) (featuring Rea Garvey) – 3:57
- "CrazyCrazy (Gnarls Barkley song)"Crazy" is the debut single from Gnarls Barkley, a musical collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee Lo Green, and is taken from their 2006 debut album St. Elsewhere...
" (live Radio 1 Music session) – 3:25 - "Maneater" (live from Sprint Music Series) – 3:00
- "Promiscuous" (live at The Orange Lounge) (featuring SaukratesSaukratesKarl Amani Wailoo , better known by his stage name Saukrates , is a Canadian rapper, singer, and record producer of Guyanese descent. He is the co-founder of Capitol Hill Music, and lead singer of hip-hop/R&B group Big Black Lincoln...
) – 4:05
Limited Summer Edition (Spanish Special Edition)
- "Afraid" (featuring Attitude)
- "Maneater"
- "Promiscuous" (featuring Timbaland)
- "Glow"
- "Showtime"
- "No Hay Igual"
- "Te Busqué" (featuring Juanes)
- "Say It Right"
- "Do It"
- "In God's Hands"
- "Wait for You"
- "Somebody to Love"
- "All Good Things (Come to an End)"
- "Te BusquéTe Busqué"Te Busqué" is a song written by Canadian singer Nelly Furtado and Colombian musicians Juanes and Lester Mendez for Furtado's third album, Loose . It features Juanes and was released as the album's first single in Spain, and as the fourth in Latin America...
" (Spanish version) (featuring JuanesJuanesJuan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez , better known as Juanes is a Colombian musician who was a member of heavy metal band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. In 2000, his solo debut album Fíjate Bien won three Latin Grammy Awards.Juanes has sold more than 13 million albums...
) – 3:38 - "Lo Bueno Siempre Tiene un Final" ("All Good Things (Come to an End)All Good Things (Come to an End)"All Good Things " is a pop song written by singer Nelly Furtado, Timbaland, Danja and Chris Martin for Furtado's third album, Loose . It was co-produced by Timbaland and Danja and released as the album's third European single in November 2006 . It was released as the fourth single in the United...
" Spanish version) – 4:25 - "En las Manos de Dios" ("In God's HandsIn God's Hands (song)"In God's Hands" is a song written and produced by Nelly Furtado and Rick Nowels for Furtado's third album, Loose . It is about Furtado's breakup with DJ Jasper Gahunia, the father of her daughter. According to Furtado in May 2006, the song was "as far as I was willing to go in terms of pop right...
" Spanish version) – 4:30 - "Dar" ("Try" Spanish version) – 4:40
- "No Hay Igual" (feat. Calle 13Calle 13 (band)Calle 13 is a band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar , who calls himself Residente and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez , who calls himself Visitante Calle 13 is a band formed by stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar (born February 23, 1978 in Hato Rey, a subsection of San Juan, Puerto Rico), who calls...
) - 3:38 [Spain and Latin America only]
Personnel
- Nelly Furtado: vocals
- Attitude: vocals
- Rusty Anderson: acoustic guitarSteel-string acoustic guitarA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
- David Campbell: conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
- Robert Cani: violin
- Luis Conte: percussion
- Larry Corbett: cello
- Maria DeLeon: violin
- Joel Derouin: violin
- Danja: drums, keyboardMusical keyboardA musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
, piano - Hilario Duran: piano
- Amen Garabedian: violin
- Gerado Hilera: violin
- Sharon Jackson: violin
- Dean Jarvis: bass guitar
- Juanes: acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Suzie Katayama: cello
- Peter Kent: violin
- Greg Kurstin: keyboard
- Jamie MuhoberacJamie MuhoberacJamie Muhoberac is a session keyboardist with numerous credits, including The All-American Rejects, Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones , Backstreet Boys, Aly & AJ, Bob Dylan, Goo Goo Dolls, Chris Cornell , My Chemical Romance, Paradise Lost, Girlfriend, Carmen Rizzo and Pet Shop Boys...
: keyboard - Rick Nowels: guitar, keyboard, piano
- Blake O: guitar
- Luis Orbego: percussion
- Stever Richards: cello
- Kevin Rudolph: guitar
- David Schommer: percussion
- Ramón StagnaroRamon StagnaroRamón Stagnaro, born in Peru, is a guitarist who has toured or recorded with artists such as Diana Ross, Celine Dion, Pedro Eustache, Alejandro Sanz, Enrique Iglesias, Nelly Furtado, Andrea Bocelli, Shahyar Ghanbari, Vangelis and appears on Yanni's live concert video, Tribute.-References:* an...
: acoustic guitar, electric guitar - Nisan Stewart: drums
- Daniel Stone: percussion
- Taku Hirano: percussion
- Timbaland: bass guitar, drums, keyboard, percussion
- Josefina Vergara: violin
- Dan Warner: guitar
- Joey Waronker: drums
Production
- Executive producers: Thom Panunzio, TimbalandTimbalandTimothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, Nelly Furtado - Producer: Timbaland, Danja, Nisan Stewart, Lester Mendez, Rick NowelsRick NowelsRichard Wright Nowels Jr. is a Grammy / Ivor Novello award-winning songwriter/producer who has worked with many of the most vibrant artists in contemporary music...
, Nelly Furtado - Vocal producer: Jim Beanz
- Vocal assistance: Jim Beanz, Timbaland, The Horace Mann Middle School Choirs
- Engineers: Demacio Castellon, Vadim Chrislov, Ben Jost, Joao R. Názario, James Roach, Kobia Tetey, Joe Wohlmuth
- Assistant engineers: Jason Donkersgoed, Steve Genwick, Kieron Menzies, Dean Reid
- Mixing: Marcella Araica, Demacio Castellón, Bard Haehnal, Dave Pensado, Neal H. Pogue
- Mastering: Chris Gerhinger
- A&R: Thom Panunzio, D.J. Mormille
- A&R coordination: Evan Peters
- A&R administration: Jeanne Venton
- Art direction: JP Robinson, Gravillis Inc., Nevis
- Photography: Anthony Mandler
- Production manager: Cliff Feimann
Credits adapted from the Loose liner notes.
Charts
| Chart (2006–07) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
4 |
| Austrian Albums Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
1 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
1 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
5 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
1 |
| Czech Albums Chart | 2 |
| Danish Albums Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
4 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
2 |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
1 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 4 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
5 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
1 |
| Greek Albums Chart IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
5 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
2 |
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
3 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
4 |
| Mexican Albums Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
1 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
4 |
| Polish Albums Chart Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
1 |
| Portuguese Albums Chart Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
3 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 2 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
5 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
1 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
2× Platinum |
| Austria | 2× Platinum |
| Belgium | 2x Platinum |
| Brazil | Gold |
| Canada Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
5× Platinum |
| Denmark | Platinum |
| Europe | 3× Platinum |
| Finland | 3× Platinum |
| France Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
Platinum |
| Germany Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises.... |
5× Platinum |
| Greece IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
Gold |
| Hungary | 2× Platinum |
| Ireland Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... |
Platinum |
| Mexico | Gold |
| Netherlands NVPI The NVPI is the Dutch tradeassociation of the entertainment industry... |
Gold |
| Norway | Gold |
| New Zealand Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
2× Platinum |
| Poland Polish Music Charts The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies... |
Diamond |
| Portugal | 3× Platinum |
| Romania | 3× Platinum |
| Russia | 7× Platinum |
| South Africa | Platinum |
| Spain | Gold |
| Sweden | Gold |
| Switzerland | 5× Platinum |
| United Kingdom British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
3× Platinum |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
2x Platinum |
End-of-year charts
| End of year chart (2006) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 44 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 36 |
| Belgian Flanders Albums Chart | 69 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 60 |
| European Albums Chart | 13 |
| German Albums Chart | 11 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 62 |
| Mexican Albums Chart | 63 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 9 |
| UK Albums Chart | 39 |
| US Billboard 200 | 64 |
| Worldwide | 13 |
| End of year chart (2007) | Position |
| Australian Albums Chart | 25 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 3 |
| Belgium Flanders Albums Chart | 8 |
| Belgium Wallonia Albums Chart | 14 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 11 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 13 |
| French Albums Chart | 19 |
| German Albums Chart | 1 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart | 5 |
| Irish Albums Chart | 13 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 14 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 18 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 13 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart | 14 |
| US Billboard 200 | 32 |
| Worldwide | 4 |
End-of-decade charts
| Chart (2000–09) | Position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums Chart | 30 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 97 |
Chart procession and succession
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | June 7, 2006 | Universal Music Group Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
|
| Germany | June 9, 2006 | ||
| United Kingdom | June 12, 2006 | Geffen Records Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:... |
|
| Canada | June 20, 2006 | Universal Music Group | |
| United States | Geffen Records | ||
| Australia | July 10, 2006 | ||
| Germany | September 24, 2007 | Universal Music Group | Bonus track edition |
External links
- Loose at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...