Whoa, Nelly! is the debutstudio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was released in North America on October 24, 2000 by DreamWorks Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from 1999 to 2000. It peaked at number twenty-four on the US Billboard 200 chart, and opened to critical acclaim. It produced three international singles: "I'm Like a Bird", "Turn Off the Light" and "...on the Radio ". "Party's Just Begun " was a club-only single released exclusively in the US before the album's availability in stores, and it was included on the soundtrack of the 1999 filmBrokedown Palace. When "Party's Just Begun " was released, Furtado's label was unsure about the genre in which to market her. They eventually remixed "Party's Just Begun " and included it on this album as "Party". The DreamWorks label released "Trynna Finda Way" as the fourth single in Mexico and South America, and "Hey, Man!" as the fourth single in the UK and Germany. The album spent seventy-eight weeks on the Billboard 200. It hit double-platinum status in the US in January 2002. After the release of the album, Furtado headlined the Burn in the Spotlight tour and appeared on Moby's Area:One tour. According to Maclean's magazine, Whoa, Nelly! has sold 5-6 million copies Worldwide as of 2006. The album also caught the eye of record producerTimbaland, who later signed Furtado to his record label.
Composition
Whoa, Nelly combines elements of a large number of genres. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic states that "much of the record sounds like folk-pop tinged with bossa nova" and describes the songs as "blends of pop, folk, dance, and Latin". According to Heidi Sherman from Spin "Furtado takes on mainstream urban pop, alternative folk, R&B-soul, and Brazillian samba on Whoa, Nelly!". Billboard notes that "Nelly Furtado sees no reason for separating rockguitars from pop melodies from R&B/hip hop beats from effervescent bossa nova". Other articles on Billboard describe Whoa, Nelly as a trip-pop and worldbeat/rock album.
Critical reception
Whoa, Nelly! was well received by critics for its eccentric, yet intriguing instrumentations as well as Furtado's vocals. It currently holds a score of 79 from Metacritic. Slant magazine called it "a delightful and refreshing antidote to the army of 'pop princesses' and rap-metal bands that had taken over popular music at the turn of the millennium." The sound of the album was strongly influenced by musicians who had traversed cultures and "the challenge of making heartfelt, emotional music that's upbeat and hopeful." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave a positive review while commenting that "Furtado is a restless vocalist, skitting and scatting with abandon, spitting out rapid repetitions, bending notes, and frequently indulging in melismas." and also stating that "Whoa, Nelly! unfolds as a rewarding, promising debut." Rolling Stone gave Whoa, Nelly! a positive review calling it a "wild-ass pop go-go, filled with songs that pursue adventure yet could still make the hit parades." Q listed Whoa, Nelly! as one of the best 50 albums of 2001. As a result of critical acclaim, the album received four nominations at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in on 27 February 2002. The album itself received a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album, while Furtado herself was nominated for Best New Artist as well as Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "I'm Like a Bird", in which she won the latter.
Commercial performance
Whoa, Nelly! was commercial success worldwide. It peaked at number two in Canada and received 4× platinum certification in that territory. In United States, it received 2× platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America and peaked at number twenty-four on US Billboard 200. It reached top ten positions in the Netherlands and Switzerland, as well as top five in Australia, Norway and New Zealand. It was also certified 3× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand and received platinum certifications in Portugal and Switzerland. It peaked at number twenty in Belgium in both Flanders and Wallonia. In 2002, it peaked at number forty-six in France.
