The Ride by Nelly Furtado | Album Review
Nelly Furtado’s 6th album sees the Canadian pop star going independent with her latest brand of pop.
Check out The Ride on Apple Music or Spotify.
Nelly Furtado risen from the earthy pop of her debut and sophomore outings into a radio staple with 2006’s meteoric Loose. While her 2009 release Mi Plan would prove to be a resounding success on the Billboard Latin charts, her English follow up The Spirit Indestructible failed to garner the same traction. After this release, Furtado retreated from the limelight to focus more on herself and other outlets that sparked her interest at the time. Nelly would recruit producer John Congleton and musician, producer, and songwriter Dev Hynes to create what she dubbed as her “hangover record”:
“I’m excited that the lyrics have a lot of weight, because I feel like I’ve genuinely matured. I’m calling it my ‘hangover album’: The party was fun, but then you crash on the ground and wake up the next day and feel kind of cool, but have stuff to deal with. That’s what all the songs are about.”
Compared to the glossy production of Loose and The Spirit Indestructible, The Ride takes a more indie-pop approach with its sound. There are two distinctive sounds that Furtado experiments with on this project. The first comes with the use of simplistic 80s new wave/indie-pop sounds (which I will discuss in the first section). The second half brings in a more lush synth-pop tones (which I will discuss in the latter half).
** Love It/Add This To Your Playlist **
Both the opening track “Cold Hard Truth” and the following track “Flatline” use a thick synth bass line that give them an almost mechanical sound. “Cold Hard Truth” is has flavors of 80s synth pop underneath its chunky bass. The more I listen to this song the more I appreciate its little nods to funk. It’s use of the mini moog and clavinet bring Stevie Wonder to mind. Furtado has crafted a very matter of fact song breaking up and moving on, “But the cold hard truth is I can make it without you/ And the cold hard truth is I’ve been waiting and waiting And as I fly away, don’t cry your life away/ ’Cause you and I were meant, we were meant to be alone, alone, alone.” She addresses the multiple angles of moving on in the commentary below:
As the title suggests, “Flatline” uses a sample of a heartbeat from a vitals monitor to booster the allusion of the intensive care needed after a heartbreak. Compared to the sparser production of the opening track, this one adds a bit more layers to the sound. Nelly relates the carnage of a medical emergency to her need of mental care after this breakup, “I call for backup, this is bad/ I’m breathing, barely breathing/ My pulse is barely beating/ I don’t feel nothing at all/ Come on, resuscitate me/ Why don’t you come and save me?”
I’m surprised that “Sticks and Stone” released sooner as a single off the album. Furtado covers the Arlissa 2013 original adding a much more 2010s EMD flavor while keeping the original tribal percussion. Nelly’s take is another highlight on the album for me. It matches her themes of personal growth and happiness that permeate throughout the record. It’s a shame that this was the final single released and not pushed out sooner.
Even though I could fit “Pipe Dreams” into the more simplistic section above, there is a brightness to its production that sets it aside from those tracks.
“I was actually in Kenya when I wrote the song. When I was walking with a big canister of water on my back, I started writing ‘Pipe Dreams.’ It was basically, don’t give me your artificialness — it could play into friendship, lovers or anything. Don’t give me the watered-down version of you. I want the real you. I’ve been working with a lot of artists from Dallas, and we have this sunflower symbol with swords on it, which is sort of the perfect symbol for the record, because life when it is at its most beautiful is at its most painful.”
The little subtly of the Hammond B3 really gives the song a needed warmth. I also appreciate her stance on authenticity in any relationship she gets into. The more DIY nature of the song’s music video goes wonderfully with its sound.
“Tap Dancing” is another refreshing change in tone. Even though she is still well in the realms of retro synth pop, it feels much smoother without the bite of the bass line. I remember Furtado speaking about the writing the song around simply learning how to tap dance. Her words take on a much more earnest hope to find her own happiness outside of performing without the need for others approval. I really appreciate the sentiment behind this track.
The final track “Phoenix” is my favorite on the album. It’s a wash of calming synth pads and piano that washes over you like warm water. Nelly told Billboard this was the first track she started writing with John Congleton 3 years prior to the album’s release. You can hear the influences that would take shape begin here. You can hear Furtado’s desire to start anew, “Mother, just lay your head down/ You’ve been burning both ends of the candle and you’re done/ It’s time to find your wings again and turn your face towards the sun.” This feels like her rebirth of creativity after years of chasing trends.
** Liked It/Worth A Listen **
“Paris Sun” continues this sonic palette used on the opening two tracks. Even though it seems to match “Cold Hard Truth” in its simplistically, I rather enjoy the prominence of synth bass here. There is just enough color in the back drop to keep the indie-pop/80s new wave feeling interesting. This is our first love song. The euphoric feeling is nice following the push and pull against attraction on “Live”.
“Magic” is rather simple sonically. Again, the retro synth bass does most of the heavy lifting. I like don’t love this track. Something about the chorus, “Have you just grown up and had enough?/ And you don’t believe in magic anymore,” feels a bit claustrophobic in how the last line is delivered. Furtado aches over the lost love she once had.
“Palaces” is yet another new wave infused indie-pop track. With little in the way of variety between these sounds used on theses songs these began to become a bit monotonous. She uses the imagery of the opulence of palaces to discuss the illusion of perfection and happiness that many focus on in relationships without aiming for real love. Nelly speaks more to this in her Billboard interview:
“The song “Palaces” is… where you’re looking for this perfect land and that breaks down. It’s like, how are we going to break down the materialism and break into love?”
This track falls a bit middle of the road for me on the album. I enjoy its more eruptive pop sound, but wish it had some more instrumental variety compared to other tracks on the album.
By the time we get to “Right Road” the use of the same synth bass has gotten a bit old. Sonically there is little change from the prior songs I have discussed above. The one interesting addition is St. Vincent-esque guitar work towards the back half of the track. It’s an ode to following the high road when the worst trails seems more enticing. I could honest give or take this song. It’s just alright.
** Disliked It/Skip It **
“Carnival Games” brings in a welcomed changed in instrumentation. Adam Prickell’s piano melody is the main focus with the other sounds acting as the hues that color the track. I do wish it felt a bit fuller. As it stands, the production feels more like a demo than a fully realized track. Nelly told Billboard magazine the following around the meaning of the song:
“There’s this song called ‘Carnival Games,’ about spending money at a carnival and getting a bunch of really cool-looking stuffed animals, but you’ll never really know what winning is like because you haven’t taken the time to look within and try to search for real happiness.”
There is a childlike air to the song from its use of bells and the spritely melody of the synths and bass. I suppose this naivety is something Nelly wants to capture through the gambling analogy. Personally, I just wish the song took a more melancholy tone to match Furtado’s words.
“Live” has a much bouncier synth sound that doesn’t quite do it for me. The melody is far too monochromatic to really capture its listener. It’s a shame because I think Nelly’s vocals add a welcomed energy that I think would work well under different production. She matches the fight against her blooming affections for this person. I just wish it came together a little more spice to it. This is more or less a skippable song on the album.
I have mixed feelings about this album. While I enjoy Nelly’s vocal performance throughout the record, some of the production gets a bit stale after a while. Furtado’s passion is a huge selling factor for the entirety of the album. While she sounds like she is having fun and putting out what she wants, I do wish some of the tracks, like “Live”, “Palaces”, and “Right Road” had more variety to them. The sound of these songs is so similar that they never really grab me as much as they could. I also wish “Carnival Games” leaned more into a more solemn tone over the playful synth production. Nelly’s return is worthy of a listen, especially the singles released from this project. The more middle of the road production on the other songs are what drive down its appeal to me. My album breakdown:
Loved It: “Cold Hard Truth”, “Flatline”, “Sticks and Stones”, “Pipe Dreams”, “Tap Dancing”, & “Pheonix”
Liked It: “Paris Sun”, “Magic”, “Palaces”, and “Right Road”
Disliked It: “Carnival Games” and “Live”
My overall rating: 5.0 out of 10.
