Common Sense Note
Furtado's lyrics encourage kids to be who they are and not followers. There's nothing concerning here.
"One-Trick Pony" and "Powerless (Say What You Want)" could spark a conversation about how celebrities are packaged for popular consumption -- and often whitewashed along the way.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kate Pavao
It's hard to get too excited about this album. The pop tracks lack originality and, with minor exceptions, her voice isn't big enough to bring any energy to her ballads. While Furtado is to be commended for fusing varied elements (listeners will hear mandolin and cavaquinho, a traditional Portuguese and Brazilian guitar, mixed with modern turntable techniques, as well as more modern scratching), the results are basically banal.
Furtado does hit on some positive messages. The first two tracks, "One Trick Pony" and "Powerless (Say What You Want)" warn about selling out to a predictable, mass-produced image. She also honors her cultural roots; she sings in Portuguese and the song "Island of Wonder" is about the Azores, where her parents are from. Even the most controversial song, "Explode," which mentions both drinking and drug use ("Slip the acid on your tongue?/ We couldn't get enough"), is a far from glamorous portrayal; the lyrics also address a friend being raped behind a McDonalds and contains the refrain "Stuck in the teenage waste." But too often Furtado's words are vague, poorly written or simply clichés (In "Build You Up" she sings "Baby, they build you up/ Only to tear you down/ Don't give up).
"Picture Perfect," a beautiful ballad toward the album's end, provides one of the few bright spots, with a haunting, desperate-sounding refrain and some lasting images ("Cigarette in your mouth, a cuff on your jeans/ Your side burns are perfect, you're perfect and lean"). But just three tracks later, when Furtado pairs up with Brazilian musical legend Caetano Veloso for "Island of Wonder," his vivid voice makes hers seem rather average. Just like her album.
Rate It!
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Sexual Content |
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ViolenceThere is a passing reference to a rape. |
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Message |
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Social BehaviorLots of lyrics about being true to yourself. |
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CommercialismThere is a passing reference to Diet Coke and another to a Camaro. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoOne song talks about getting drunk and taking drugs. |
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