Spirit Indestructible

Last night, I bought the Killers', Kanye's, Pink's and Nelly's new albums. This is the one that has been on repeat. I think unlike most people, my favorite Nelly songs are all from her albums that weren't "Loose." "Loose" in my opinion was an attempt to be more commercial that in many ways downplayed all of the things that made Nelly unique. She became just another pop star. I get why she did it though--she had never been able to find that balance of catchy commercial songs that were still interesting and complex. This is the album where everything changes.This album showcases Nelly's adventurous nature and willingness to takes risks. She does massive British drum and bass club bangers right next to introspective almost Middle Eastern & Latin flavored ballads. This album has shades of reggae, electro, rock, funk and even folk. While Nelly isn't always successful in trying to marry all these genres together--it's ridiculous fun to listen to her try. The sheer amount of variety she was able to achieve yet still give this album a cohesive sound and feel is astonishing. As of now, favorite tracks are "High Life", "Parking Lot" and "Miracles."Lyrically, she's sarcastic, meditative and real. I love that her lyrics actually reflect her age(somewhat older at 33) and experiences instead of trying to sound like she's still 21 (cough, cough Avril...) Her very unique voice (somewhat nasally and stylized at times) is showcased quite well throughout. You can't listen to these songs and not tell that it's Nelly singing. The thing that annoyed me the most about this album though is the number of times that she or others are simply talking at the beginnings or ends of tracks. It made it sound too much like a live recording for my taste.Unfortunately, Nelly hasn't been on the mainstream charts for years. And it's a real shame that this album hasn't been getting more attention when in fact, it's one of the smartest as well as instantly listenable pop albums of the year. Fans of artists like M.I.A. or Santigold as well as literally any current mainstream artist should all love this album. I dare you not to dance upon listening.

This is one of the best albums I've listened in ages, bought the deluxe edition, heres my review of the tracks, out of 5 stars “Spirit Indestructible” **** (really good inspirational song) “Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)” *** (great beats but theres better songs on the album) “High Life”(feat. Ace Primo) **** (Love the beat, the chorus) “Parking Lot” *** (A jammer, fun to dance to, but there's definitely better songs) “Something” (feat. Nas) ***** (Amazing duet with Nas, Say It Right successor imo) “Bucket List” ***** (love the instruments, her voice in this, and lyrics, probably my favorite) “The Most Beautiful Thing” (feat. Sara Tavares) **** (Very pretty song, good vocals) “Waiting For the Night” ***** (Great club banger, starts off slow but heads straight away to the dancing quickly) “Miracles” ***** (very different, you'll be mesmerized by the instruments in the background) “Circles” **** (great beats, nice song to just walk or drive while listening) “Enemy” *** (meaningful lyrics, amazing percussion, average vocals) “Believers (Arab Spring)” **** (very uplifting and happy) deluxe edition----- “Hold Up” **** (Maneater part 2, need I say more) “End of the World” **** (really nice song, lyrically, instrumentally) “Don’t Leave Me” ***** (Favorite, great reggae beat, emotional tone, and vocals are top notch) “Be OK” (feat. Dylan Murray) **** (Great duet, very soothing and relaxing to listen to) “Thoughts” (feat. The Kenyan Boys Choir) ***** (interesting combination of vocals, very different, love the simplistic tone of the song) “Thoughts” (feat. The Kenyan Boys Choir) [Tiësto Remix] ***** (tiesto adds a bit more flavor)

I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan, but I do own all of Nelly Furtado's albums. Each one contains some serious gems, as well as some very skippable songs. Nelly is also pretty good at creating songs that really grow on you. I like when that happens, because those kinds of songs tend to endure longer. With The Spirit Indestructible, I have not been disappointed. There are some absolutely amazing songs that hit you right away, as well as songs that really grow on you - and then a few songs that I don't care for at all. What's strange, though, is that this album is quite a bit lop-sided. It's starts with lots of thumping crowd-pleasing dance hits, then slows down a bit to more thoughtful, but still catchy and enjoyable fare, and finally ends with some rather slow, dull, and forgettable songs. Not sure why they chose to do that. Maybe it's just my perception. In the end and overall, though, this is a great addition to my music collection.

Nelly Furtado is an artist who constantly evolves with each album. This album is no different. Lyrically, this album is her best since Folklore. It has a variety of sounds, although it is predominantly urban. In that respect, it is similar to her debut. This isn't Loose v2.0, which I could see taking some people off guard at first, though, to be honest, I am grateful that she didn't just settle for the easy hit. As great as Loose was/is, I felt that some of her energy was lost on that album. The Spirit Indestructible, however, is ALL Nelly. This album combines hard beats with insightful lyrics, making it an enjoyable listen. Vocally, she experiments more on this album than perhaps ever before; her voice on Circles and Miracles are gorgeous.All in all, this album combines the high energy of her debut, the lyrical depth of Folklore, the beats of Loose and the vocals of her spanish album into one awesome package. I hate that it's going to be so underrated. It really doesn't deserve it.