Loose

Making a spectacular comeback with the grinding bassline of "Maneater", Nelly Furtado has ditched the dreary folk pop she's most famous for. Instead Loose takes lessons from the Stefani school of hip-pop, adding more class and sparkle from the infallible Timberland. The producer even takes a turn on the tracks himself, rapping on sleazy ass-shaker "Promiscuous Girl" and drumming on Spanish reggaeton "No Hay Igual".

The girl-next-door still resonates though with the Spanish guitar of mixed language "Te Busqué", featuring Colombian superstar Juanes, which conjures up imaginations of romantic sunsets. "All Good Things" sees the Portuguese Chanteuse in a Madge-like brooding campfire sing-along.

With equal measures of nice and nasty girl Nel, haters of "I'm Like A Bird" should perhaps give her another chance. With Loose, she's certainly earned it.