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Folklore (Nelly Furtado album)

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Folklore
Furtado, desaturated, lies on her side looking at the camera in front of a floral design. 60s-inspired letters read "NELLY FURTADO" and then "Folklore" in small cursive letters.
Studio album by
Nelly Furtado
Released5 November 2003
Recorded2003
Studio
Genre
Length50:26
Language
  • English
  • Portuguese
LabelDreamWorks
Producer
Nelly Furtado chronology
Whoa, Nelly!
(2000) 		Folklore
(2003) 		Loose
(2006)
Singles from Folklore
  1. "Powerless (Say What You Want)"
    Released: 6 October 2003
  2. "Try"
    Released: 23 February 2004
  3. "Força"
    Released: 7 June 2004
  4. "Explode"
    Released: 27 September 2004
  5. "The Grass Is Green"
    Released: 14 February 2005

Folklore is the second studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado, released on 5 November 2003 through DreamWorks Records. While the album did not match the success of her previous album in such markets as the United States and Australia, it did however become a success in several European countries.[1] Folklore spawned five singles: "Powerless (Say What You Want)", "Try", "Força", "Explode" and "The Grass Is Green". As of 2008, the album had sold 2 million copies worldwide.[2]

Primarily a world[3] and pop rock[4] album, Folklore also incorporates ethnic,[5] pop,[5] folk,[5] alternative pop[6] and worldbeat[6] elements.

Background

The album's title was influenced by Furtado's parents' immigration to Canada, "When I look at my old photo albums, I see pictures of their brand-new house, their shiny new car, their first experiences going to very North American-type places like Kmart. When you have that in your blood, you never really part with it – it becomes your own personal folklore."[7] Furtado attributed the mellowness of the album to the fact that she was pregnant during most of its recording.[7] "Saturdays" features vocals by Jarvis Church and "Island of Wonder" features vocals by Caetano Veloso.[8]

Folklore includes the single "Força" (meaning "carry on" or "strength" in Portuguese), which was written as the official anthem of the UEFA Euro 2004. Furtado performed the song at the championship's final in Lisbon, in July 2004.[9] Other singles included the ballad "Try" and "Powerless (Say What You Want)", in which she embraces her Portuguese heritage; the song deals with "the idea that you can still feel like a minority inside, even if you don't look like one on the outside".[7] Additional singles were released in certain territories; "Explode" in Canada and Europe, and "The Grass Is Green" in Germany.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic60/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Blender[11]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[12]
The Guardian[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
Slant Magazine[15]
Spin6/10[16]
The Times[17]
Village Voice(favorable)[18]
Yahoo! Music UK[19]

Folklore received mixed reviews from critics. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that "[w]hile there are some interesting musical moments on Folklore -- enough to make it worth a listen -- the dogged seriousness and didactic worldview become a bit overbearing not long before the album is a quarter of the way finished, particularly since the fusion of worldbeat and adult alternative pop often seems heavy-handed."[6] Entertainment Weekly gave a positive review stating that "exultant music goes on its merry, multicultural way".[12] While Rolling Stone gave a negative review, calling Folklore "slick, multicultural hodgepodge" but "without a single as good as 'I'm Like a Bird'."[14] As she focused more on the songwriting, rather "than on frenetically switching genres five times in one song",[7] BBC felt that it had "twice the originality" of her debut.[20] The A.V. Club wrote that while "few tracks on Folklore stand out, the album hangs together agreeably..."[21]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number eighteen on the Canadian Albums Chart with first-week sales of 10,400,[22] and at number thirty-eight on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 68,000 in its first week.[23] According to Nielsen SoundScan, it had sold 425,000 copies in the US by August 2008.[24] It was not as successful as Furtado's debut album, Whoa, Nelly! (2000), partly because of troubles at DreamWorks Records and the less poppy sound.[20] It lacked promotion because DreamWorks was sold to Universal Music Group at the time of Folklore's release, and it spent only eleven weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart. In 2005, DreamWorks Records was shut down and many of its artists, including Furtado, were absorbed into Geffen Records.[25] Furtado noticed that the album was particularly successful in Germany, where it reached the top 5 on the albums chart, and said, "Why do Germans love this album? I think I figured it out: It's so cerebral. It's great in its own way, but that's a different side."[26]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Nelly Furtado, Gerald Eaton and Brian West, except for "The Grass Is Green" which is produced by Furtado and Mike Elizondo and "Island of Wonder" which is produced by Furtado, Lil' Jaz, Eaton and West.

Folklore – Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."One-Trick Pony" (featuring Kronos Quartet)
  • Furtado
  • Eaton
  • West
4:47
2."Powerless (Say What You Want)"
3:53
3."Explode"
  • Furtado
  • Eaton
3:45
4."Try"
  • Furtado
  • West
4:38
5."Fresh Off the Boat"
  • Furtado
  • Eaton
  • West
3:16
6."Força"
  • Furtado
  • Eaton
  • West
3:40
7."The Grass Is Green"
  • Furtado
  • Elizondo
3:51
8."Picture Perfect"
  • Furtado
  • Eaton
  • West
5:16
9."Saturdays" (featuring Jarvis Church)Furtado2:05
10."Build You Up"
  • Furtado
  • Eaton
  • West
4:58
11."Island of Wonder" (featuring Caetano Veloso)
3:48
12."Childhood Dreams"Furtado6:33
Folklore – UK edition (bonus track)
No.TitleLength
13."Try" (acoustic)4:41
Folklore – Japanese edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleLength
13."Powerless (Say What You Want)" (alternative acoustic mix)3:49
14."Try" (acoustic)4:41
Folklore – Latin American re-issue
No.TitleLength
13."Powerless (Say What You Want)" (featuring Juanes)3:57
Samples

Personnel

Credits adapted from the Folklore liner notes.[27]

  • Nelly Furtado: lead and background vocals, lyricist, songwriting, acoustic guitar
  • Caetano Veloso: lead and background vocals (11)
  • Gerald Eaton a.k.a. Jarvis Church: electric harmonium (right hand), tambourine, B3 organ, background vocals
  • Brian West: acoustic guitar, flange guitar, electric harmonium (left hand), squeaky organ, rhythm guitar, telecaster, stadium guitar, space echo guitar, electric mantra guitar, pedals, Rhodes
  • George Doerling: Banjo, mandolín, cavaquinho, dulcimer, Hawaiian mini-guitar.
  • Russ Miller: percussion, drums
  • David Harrington: violin (1)
  • John Sherba: violin (1)
  • Hank Dutt: viola (1)
  • Jennifer Culp: cello (1)
  • Stephen Prutsman: string arrangement
  • Steve Carnelli: banjo, mandolín
  • James Bryan: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, island guitar, tender rogue guitar
  • Mike Elizondo: echoplex slide guitar, bass
  • Michael Einziger: lead guitar, drill guitar, chime guitar
  • Brad Haehnhel: fireworks display
  • Joey Waronker: drums
  • Bob Leatherbarrow: vibraphone
  • Alex Alessandroni: piano, echo harmonium
  • Jasper Gahunia a.k.a. “Lil’ Jaz”: scratching, scratch effects, subliminal speeches
  • Justin Meldal-Johnsen: Ocean bass
  • Alan Molnar: vibraphone
  • Béla Fleck: banjo
  • Gurpreet Chana: tabla
  • Dean Jarvis: bass
  • Luis Simãõ: accordion
  • Daniel Stone: percussion, Shakere, Caxixi, finger cymbals, cajon, congas, chascarra de gaita
  • Jef Ten Kortenaar: violin
  • David Wadly: violin
  • Amanda Goodburn: viola
  • Orly Bitou: cello
  • David Campbell: arranger
  • Mike Fratantuno: upright bass
  • Jon Levine: piano
  • Rafael Gomez: acoustic guitar, Portuguese shout outs
  • Manuela Furtado: whistling
  • Kyle Erwin: Huge organ, chimes, 64-foot pipes
  • Vonette Yanaglmnuma: harp[citation needed]

Production

  • Nelly Furtado: producer
  • Track: producer, programming
  • Field: producer, programming, engineering
  • Lil’ Jazz: producer, programming, additional engineering
  • Mike Elizondo: producer, programming
  • Brad Haehnhel: mixing, engineering
  • Joseph Lobato: engineering
  • Adam Hawkins: engineering
  • Marcelo Sabola: engineering
  • Steve Chahley: assistant engineering
  • Ian Bodzasi: assistant engineering
  • Chris Gordon: assistant engineering
  • Neil Couser: assistant engineering
  • Brian Gardner: mastering
  • Bernie Grundman: mastering
  • Beth Halper: A&R
  • Jennifer Ross: A&R coordinator
  • Frances Pennington: creative director
  • Gravis Inc.: art direction, design
  • Warrick Saint: cover photo
  • Isabel Snyder: photography

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Folklore
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[49] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[50] Platinum 100,000^
Germany (BVMI)[51] 2× Platinum 400,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[52] Gold 40,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[53] Gold 7,500^
Portugal (AFP)[54] Gold 20,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[55] Platinum 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[56] Gold 245,000[2]
United States (RIAA)[57] Gold 425,000[24]
Summaries
Worldwide — 2,000,000[2]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, label, editions and reference
Region Date Label Edition(s) Ref
United States 5 November 2003 Digital download SKG [58]
Australia 23 November 2003 CD Universal Music [59]
Germany 24 November 2003 [60]
United Kingdom Polydor [61]
Canada 25 November 2003 Universal Music [62]
Ukraine [63]
United States DreamWorks [64]
Japan 21 January 2004 Universal Music [65]

References

  1. ^ "Billboard". 25 December 2004.
  2. ^ a b c Qilson, Jen (1 August 2008). "Five Rings To Rule Them All". Billboard. p. 24. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  3. ^ Rosen, Jody (June 2006). "Nelly Furtado: Loose". Blender (49). New York: 101. Archived from the original on 10 August 2006. Retrieved 19 May 2020. the mocha-java world music stylings of 2003's Folklore
  4. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (24 March 2017). "Nelly Furtado: The Ride | Album Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 28 March 2019. responding to her initial urban-crossover success with the rustic pop-rock set Folklore in 2003
  5. ^ a b c Gianni Sibilla (20 January 2004). "Folklore - Nelly Furtado". Rockol (in Italian). Retrieved 7 November 2018. Questi accostamenti tra pop e musica etnica in alcuni momenti funzionano [...] "Folklore", da un lato, cerca di mantenere un'identità pop (e quindi di essere "smerciabile" su canali di massa), dall'altra cerca una via più originale di rielaborare fonti, per l'appunto, "folk"
  6. ^ a b c d Stephen Thomas Erlewine. Folklore at AllMusic. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
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  23. ^ Dansby, Andrew. "Jay-Z Bounces Britney" Archived 25 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Rolling Stone. 31 December 2003. Retrieved 29 January 2007.
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