Rating: 7/10
In her newest album, “7,” Nelly Furtado does an adequate job achieving the requirements of an aging pop star but only occasionally goes beyond her limits.
Best known for songs like “Maneater” and “Promiscuous,” Furtado’s music has certainly made a splash in pop culture, with a resurgence in recent years with popular audios on TikTok. But “7” is a comeback that has been seven years in the making.
“I just have a clear sense of detachment and boundaries, and I’m really able to kind of say, ‘No, let’s try this,’” Furtado said in an interview with NPR regarding how she’s changed during this time.
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From her singing voice to the diverse range of songs on the album, the new maturity is evident; the album feels like an independent, thought-out project.
However, the first few songs don’t capture this newfound maturity. The opening song, “Showstopper,” is a simple, boring party song that isn’t catchy or exciting enough to earn much replay value.
“Corazón” is next and a better representation of Furtado’s full potential. It’s catchy and upbeat, with the Colombian band Bomba Estéreo providing a great verse. The chorus is slightly generic, but the song doesn’t suffer too much because of it.
The following tracks, “Love Bites” and “Better For Worse,” are notably poor. Trap beats and generic party tracks make the songs feel like cheap parodies of what’s popular today. They aren’t the explosive and sensual tracks that Furtado is known for.
The album features plenty of guest artists with varying degrees of success. “Love Bites” features Tove Lo and SG Lewis, who don’t add or subtract from the song in any way, which is never a good sign for a feature.
Some of the lyrics aren’t fantastic either. Party songs like “Love Bites” feature lines such as “Yeah, I can tell it from your mouth that you/ You got the devil in your eyes,” which makes no sense if you think about it long enough.
Even worse is Gray Hawken on “Better For Worse,” whose verse and ad-libs are jarring and, frankly, annoying. The lyrics are repetitive and boring, and the last minute of the song feels completely needless. It’s a melodramatic song that feels out of place when compared to the rest of the album.
Thankfully, the album shines in its later songs. “Crown” has the same trap beats as earlier songs but has a great feature from Blxckie, whose flow fits the energy of the song well. Furtado’s voice also feels much stronger, moving between high falsetto notes and a lower register that makes the song feel dynamic.
“Save Your Breath” features Williane 108, Charmie, Taborah Johnson and Tynomi Banks, and feels like a labor of love. Fantastic backing vocals create energy for every line, and the instrumentals are powerful and rhythmic.
But the slower songs are where the album truly rises to the occasion. “All Comes Back” features Charlotte Day Wilson and is soulful and deliberate, with a great piano track tracing the song as it moves. It provides the album with a hopeful energy that fits Furtado’s return to music well.
“Untitled,” the final song on the album, is a standout and feels like a culmination of Furtado’s entire career. The slow piano throughout the song wouldn’t be out of place in a movie soundtrack, as it thoughtfully follows Furtado’s high register. It’s beautiful, poignant and delicate, and it’s a must-listen for anyone who enjoys the quieter side of pop.
Furtado isn’t necessarily a standout artist, especially in pop music. But she is talented, a trait that is plainly obvious in this album.
“7” has some poor songs, but overall, it’s a decent album that will find its audience just fine.
