Whoa, Nelly!

Boasting a winsome alto and a globally minded view of pop’s potential, Nelly Furtado strikes out on her own path on her wide-ranging, curious debut. The breezy “I’m Like a Bird” and the pulsing “Turn Off the Light” combine folky strumming with soulful vocals and streetwise beats, “Legend” adds 21st-century electro-glitching to bossa nova rhythms, and the simmering “Scared of You” takes cues from Furtado’s heritage, blending the melancholic Portuguese balladry known as fado with crystalline percussion.