Whoa, Nelly’s found her feet - Once uncomfortable in concert, Furtado’s a richer singer and better dancer
By Kerry Gold - Vancouver Sun - Saturday, 24th July 2004
Twenty-five-year-old new mum Nelly Furtado basks in the adoration of her Orpheum audience Thursday night.
Orpheum, 22nd July
Nelly Furtado, Victoria’s Grammy-winning breakthrough artist, has traversed a long flight path as a performer in the last three years.
The talented 25-year-old singer and songwriter had never nailed the art of the live performance. At times, she seemed uncomfortable and rushed in concert, failing to connect with audience or bandmates, leaving the impression that she’d phoned in the show rather than lived and breathed it.
Times have changed. Perhaps it is motherhood that has transformed Furtado into a more confident performer, a far richer singer and an even better dancer. In interviews she has said as much, and judging from her near-two-hour show Thursday at the Orpheum Theatre, motherhood has it’s rewards.
The sound was crystalline, and Furtado’s voice was a strong, fluid, and frequently breathtaking instrument as she worked through her new Latin-flavoured Folklore album in the first half of the show, gaining momentum with the multi-layered pop of Explode, and extra special adoration from the packed audience for her best song and most compelling melody to date, Try.
And it was an audience that clearly came to adore this eclectic artist who first caught our attention for her undefinable melange of pop, hip hop, Brazilian, dance and Portuguese fado. The large crowd that gathered at the front of the stage was a mix of young men and women, raising their hands to grasp Furtado’s. Furtado happily complied, constantly slapping hands, taking flowers and in one instance, signing a baseball cap for a guy from the Dominican Republic. A testament to Furtado’s adventurous songwriting spirit was the diverse audience, which ranged in age from toddlers to grandparents.
The irony of course, is that while Furtado has developed hugely as a performer, she’s no longer playing GM Place-sised venues because of comparatively weaker sales of her recent Folklore album. It’s a strong, wild pastiche of a pop album, but unlike Whoa, Nelly, it does not contain a song as candy-coated sweet as I’m Like a Bird. (Furtado now refers to her debut as a “Starburst candy.”)
She’s more comfortable on stage, but Furtado still seems at a loss for words. She over-uses the cliche call-out to her fans — in our case, “Vancouv-ah!” And although she was thoroughly engaged with her seven-piece band, including a perfect-fit female back-up singer and dancer, it would have made for a more interesting and dynamic performance if she’d switched tempos or picked up her acoustic guitar more often.
These are trifling complaints, however, because Furtado managed to take her audience from sitting politely to a standing, arm-waving sea. She has learnt, over the years, to be a grateful and giving artist, and her generosity was felt. Furtado still has a tendency to rush a little through her set list, but the advantage to this show — her best here yet — was that she’s got a lot more material. And although her debut album Whoa, Nelly earned her an ardent international following, the songs from that release felt unsophisticated and undeveloped compared to her new material. For show’s end and during the encore, she performed Turn Out the Light and On the Radio, but they didn’t stand up to the simple, bittersweet melodies of Try, Explode, Picture Perfect, or even the buoyant, anthemic pop of Powerless (Say What You Want).
Furtado returned to her hip-hop roots and celebrated former collaborations with Swollen Members and Missy Elliott when she brought Swollen Member (and audience member) Prevail and opening act MC Shankhini on to the stage for singles Breathe and Get your Freak On.
Canadian supergroup Shaye, comprised of heavyweight talents Tara MacLean, Damhnait Doyle and Kim Stockwood, set the tone of the evening with their spot-on opening set. The threesome delighted the crowd with their charisma (they’re young, but they’re also seasoned performers by now) and played songs from their melody-driven The Bridge debut CD, including the joyously upbeat hit, Happy Baby.
Source: Vancouver Sun
Nelly furtado seems to have taken some time off to re-invent herself as a creative force to be reckoned with. Hooking up with beats mastermind, Timberland, together it feels as if they adored Hollaback Girl, because this first release of Nelly’s new album is absolute BANANAS! Maneater could have easily been a lead single off L.A.M.B, but instead has been savoured as the “I’m like a bird” songstress comeback.