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Folklore
Studio album by Nelly Furtado
Released	5 November 2003
Recorded	2003
Studio	The Gymnasium 4th Street Recordings (Santa Monica, California) Metalworks Studios (Mississauga, Ontario) Left Brain Studios 1st Congregational Church (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	World pop rock
Length	50:26
Language	English Portuguese
Label	DreamWorks
Producer	Mike Elizondo Nelly Furtado Lil' Jaz Gerald Eaton Brian West
Nelly Furtado chronology
Whoa, Nelly! (2000) Folklore (2003) Loose (2006)
Singles from Folklore
"Powerless (Say What You Want)" Released: 6 October 2003 "Try" Released: 23 February 2004 "Força" Released: 7 June 2004 "Explode" Released: 27 September 2004 "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. 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.

Primarily a world and pop rock album, Folklore also incorporates ethnic, pop, folk, alternative pop and worldbeat 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." Furtado attributed the mellowness of the album to the fact that she was pregnant during most of its recording. "Saturdays" features vocals by Jarvis Church and "Island of Wonder" features vocals by Caetano Veloso.

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. 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". 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
Source	Rating
Metacritic	60/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
Entertainment Weekly	A−
The Guardian
Rolling Stone
Slant Magazine
Spin	6/10
The Times
Village Voice	(favorable)
Yahoo! Music UK

Folklore received mixed reviews from critics. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated that "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." Entertainment Weekly gave a positive review stating that "exultant music goes on its merry, multicultural way". While Rolling Stone gave a negative review, calling Folklore "slick, multicultural hodgepodge" but "without a single as good as 'I'm Like a Bird'." As she focused more on the songwriting, rather "than on frenetically switching genres five times in one song", BBC felt that it had "twice the originality" of her debut. The A.V. Club wrote that while "few tracks on Folklore stand out, the album hangs together agreeably..."

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number eighteen on the Canadian Albums Chart with first-week sales of 10,400, and at number thirty-eight on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 68,000 in its first week. According to Nielsen SoundScan, it had sold 425,000 copies in the US by August 2008. 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. 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. 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."

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.

Samples

• "Powerless (Say What You Want)" contains elements from "Buffalo Gals" by Malcolm McLaren.
• "Island of Wonder" contains elements from "Tonada de Luna Llena" by Caetano Veloso.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the Folklore liner notes.

• 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

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

Release history

References

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• 2003 albums
• Nelly Furtado albums
• Albums produced by Mike Elizondo
• Albums recorded at Metalworks Studios
• DreamWorks Records albums
• Interscope Geffen A&M Records albums
• Festival Records albums
• Mushroom Records albums
• Warner Records albums
• World music albums by Canadian artists