Folklore
On her second album, Nelly Furtado takes a hard left turn. The colorful but incomplete fusion of her debut,Whoa, Nelly!, gives way on the tellingly titledFolkloreto an approach that lets in some acoustic sounds that take the music in an entirely different, richer direction. At times sounding like a dead ringer for singer-writerSam Phillips(whose work colors each episode of the TV series "Gilmore Girls"), Furtado aims for more rock-oriented ground without losing the Brazilian influences that are so much a part of her identity. Her voice and tunes are strong, and  both words and music paint a young woman still very much in movement, change, flux. It’s an intriguing sound, and one that thoughtful listeners will cherish.--Rickey Wright