- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Timbaland has revitalized Nelly Furtado both creatively and commercially.
-
A welcome exercise in versatility.
-
BlenderIt has at least seven killer tracks. [Jul 2006, p.101]
-
Although a respectable, yet fickle bid at club fodder, schmaltzy ballads, and trend riding one offs, something about it just doesn’t fit.
-
The most relevant reference points for "Loose" are Gwen Stefani's "Love Angel Music Baby" and Justin Timberlake's "Justified" - producer-defined albums that reinvented their performers as stand-alone solo artists with a wide, hip remit.
-
She mysteriously trims away her individuality and morphs into a J.Lo imitator.
-
Unfortunately, the result is like a blind date where the chemistry doesn't quite click.
-
Los Angeles TimesFurtado is game for anything Timbaland tosses out, and his production on most tracks unifies the disparate styles and moods. [18 Jun 2006]
-
MojoLoose feels less like an album than a clutch of singles plus accompanying extras. [Jul 2006, p.100]
-
It probably won't appeal to all, and some of Furtado's fans may be hugely turned off by the more danceable tracks. Yet Timbaland has revitalized Furtado - this is the sound of an artist having the time of her life.
-
New Musical Express (NME)As thrilling as Gwen, as badass as MIA. [17 Jun 2006, p.37]
-
Unfortunately, Furtado doesn't have the rhyming skills, vocal chops or attitude to pull off any one of her new personae.
-
This is glorious, 21st-century Technicolor po.
-
The strangest thing about Loose isn't its irregularity, but the simple fact that this doesn't sound like Nelly Furtado at all.
-
Aside from a few duff tracks 'Loose' is an absolute beauty that couldn't have arrived at a better moment.
-
There is nothing awful here, but Loose never meets the dizzyingly high expectations it was saddled with.
-
Q MagazineMuch of it is an inventive, hio-hop-inflected delight. [Jul 2006, p.112]
-
Rolling Stone[Furtado] scat[s] her quirky high-school-musical vocals over [Timbaland's] mostly Eighties beats. [15 Jun 2006, p.94]
-
Furtado's style-hopping nature makes her a never less-than-interesting artist, but it doesn't work to her advantage when it occurs within the same record, and that's what ultimately keeps Loose from cohering as a singularly great pop album the way her prior efforts did.
-
SpinIn the way the tunes crash and throb, much of the album could be the "Milkshake" follow-up Kelis never got around to recording. [Jun 2006, p.84]
-
She’s found the perfect collaborator to match her voracious appetite for all things pop.
-
A notably tight album of summer bangers marked by more melody than either Furtado or Timbaland has played with before.
-
Loose is slick, smart and surprising - the first great pop album of the year.
-
"Loose" is an addictive, deceptively lightweight album of electronic pop; at different points it evokes Janet Jackson, M.I.A., Gwen Stefani and Gnarls Barkley. [19 Jun 2006]
-
UncutIt's her most enjoyable record yet. [Jul 2006, p.92]
-
VibeWhile she loses herself in Gwen Stefani-like posturing... Furtado masterfully combines Spanish and pop influences in her own unique way. [Jun 2006, p.164]
-
Furtado is game... but Timbo brings beats, not chemistry. Loose isn't a love child, but a bump-and-grind that never finds a groove.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 210 out of 231
-
Mixed: 8 out of 231
-
Negative: 13 out of 231
-
Aug 8, 2017
-
Jan 26, 2023Nice album from the 2000 with banger singles. All of her classics are on this album
-
Oct 12, 2022this album really deserves a 10! The production by timbaland is on a whole other level