Album Review | ‘Folklore’ by Nelly Furtado
Furtado’s sophomore album marries folk and modern genres as she chronicles the struggles and hopes of an immigrant in Western Society.
Nelly Furtado garnered widespread attention with her debut hit “I’m Like a Bird” in 2000. Her sound mixed all the best parts of the female alternative explosion of the late 90s with the bidding mixture of pop and hip-hop that was starting to encompass the sound of the new millennium. Bringing something fresh to the table, Furtado would land another hit with “Turn Off the Lights” and be featured in the remix to Missy Elliott’s 2001 hit “Great Ur Freak On.” Her introspective brand of songwriting would look deeper into her family heritage for her sophomore album Folklore.
Coming from Portuguese parents, she took the pride she had as a child of immigrants. She made a record celebrating culture and outlining the hardships those who immigrate to a different country must endure.
Having been deeply inspired by folk instruments, Nelly gave more insight into what shaped the sound of this record with Stephen Mooallem:
“About a year after my first album came out, I decided I wanted to make a modern folk record. As we started working, I began falling in love with all these stringed…
