February 28, 2001

Nelly Furtado : I'm Like A Bird

Infectious debut single from this new singer songwriter...

Typical! You wait a lifetime for a Nelly to arrive in the charts and two turn up at once. Not to be confused with the rap star, this Nelly is a 21 year old Portugese/Canadian lass whose recent London showcase had the industry in a spin.

Singer/songwriters of Nelly's ilk have a tendency to crop up at regular intervals, boasting multi-instrumental skills and diverse musical influences, only to disappear after one naggingly infectious single; never to be heard of again

'I'm Like A Bird' IS naggingly infectious with a left of centre, urban feel (she's pals with Eminem and Dre), made memorable by Nelly's unique voice. It is this voice (think Erykah Badu meets Bjork) that could be the key to breaking the singer/songwriter curse.

It is an undeniably lovely track, albeit imbued with the sort of hippy-dippy lyrics beloved of Des'ree. But she'll need several more like this if the nest she wistfully seeks in this song is to be the UK Top Ten.

Timothy Mark