[Single Review] Nelly Furtado – “Spirit Indestructible”

After a lengthy hiatus (understatement of the century), Nelly Furtado made a polarizing return earlier this year with the bold “Big Hoops”, an eclectic explosion of hip-hop and drum & bass that played like a 2012 version of her career-defining Loose album. Despite receiving critical-acclaim, it was a total no-brainer when the urban banger flopped in today’s electro-soaked musical climate, but that doesn’t seem to have deterred Nelly one bit. The Canadian diva is pushing her urban sound again with her new single “Spirit Indestructible”, but this time around, she’s completely missed the mark.

Over an outdated Darkchild beat (that once again recalls Loose era Timbaland) and synth splashes that sound like they were plucked straight off of an old Jazze Pha record, Nelly serves up a big fat serving of self-empowerment with a shrill delivery that’s guaranteed to hurt your ears if you turn the volume dial too high.

After a rough start, “Spirit Indestructible” improves dramatically at the 1:50 mark, when Darkchild throws in some more interesting beats, Nelly starts howling about being unbreakable, and some awesome guitar strumming makes a welcome entrance, but it’s still not enough to save the song.

I can’t possibly think of a song title that sounds more Nelly Furtado-ish than “Spirit Indestructible”, and the magic of Nelly is that she can make a pop song about indestructible spirits sound beautiful, when in the hands of her frivolous contemporaries it’d turn into pure cheese. Unfortunately, there’s not much use in having stunning lyrics when everything else, from the production to the vocals, is severely lacking.

Being the staunch Nelly Furtado stan that I am, I’ve been playing “Spirit Indestructible” on repeat and waiting for it to click, but not much is happening. The only thing I can come up with is that it’d make a passable album cut, but in terms of a second single — what the hell is Nelly thinking?! If the brilliant “Big Hoops” didn’t work out, then “Spirit Indestructible” has about a snowball’s chance in hell. I can’t imagine any major label in their right mind voluntarily pushing this as a single right now, so my guess is that Nelly put her foot down and insisted on its release because she’s got a personal connection with the song and wants to inspire people with its empowering message.

Bad move, Nelly.

Score: 2.25/5

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 7th, 2012 at 5:34 am and is filed under New Music, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • http://twitter.com/SuzySooyoung Suzy Sooyoung

    Im sooooo like soooo fucking dissapointed by this! Big Hoops was flawless and fierce anthem to kick off the album. This song is pure….. nothing….zero….nada!

    I just can’t with the outdate production and the vocal is not the best we’ve seen from Nelly. PLUS the worst REALLY is the lyrics video that left me cringing. I wouldnt mind a empowerment song from Nelly tbh but this one is not doing it for me, when I know she can do much much better. Nelly, girl, wake the fuck up and ditch this single while u can!!!!!

  • http://twitter.com/DarkKard4 Sunny

    The only Nelly album that slayed me was Folklore. I don’t know if i want to get this one based on this track. I do like Big Hoops (and the awesome remixes of it)

  • John Norman

    What if heidi montag released this and spencer pratt rapped in the middle. Just, what if.

  • http://twitter.com/JoJo_Veronica JoJo

    Big Hoops was just perfect but this track doesn’t do anything for me.
    Pretty obvious that the single + album are going to flop. oh well…

  • examplesample

    Does anybody remember that McDonalds Nsync & Britney CD from like, 10+ years ago? The Oops I did it again remix from that CD reminds me SO MUCH of this song. Rodney dug in his old bag of sounds for this one. Here, I found it on YT, compare the drum beat and the laser sounds:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScuRjuOaAMY

  • http://www.facebook.com/Shanparker Shan Parker

    I have to agree with you. This song isn’t terrible and does get better and better as you progress through it, but when it comes to the average radio listener (if this even gets played) they aren’t going to set through the very boring first minute or so, they are going to change the station before giving it a chance. I’m glad you are one of the few who loved “Big Hoops” as much as me!

  • animasaurus

    This song only highlights how nasal her voice is. Just say NO Nelly!

  • adrian

    Aw Proph. It ain’t that bad. It’s actually really good and deserved a 2.5/5 at the very least. But the production is not quite solid and HER VOICE. Oh My God. Did they pitch it higher again? Or is it the way she sings now? Not pleasantful. She actually has a soft and beautiful voice which can be deep and raw when it needs to (see: Afraid, Party’s Just Begun), I don’t know why they (or she) didn’t keep it natural.

    Big Hoops should have been a summer hit the way Promiscuous was. Truly. It was such a smash, I’m surprised too that it didn’t get more love from the R&B/Hip-Hop format or even in Europe, where Maneater was a hit (and where her biggest market actually is).

    That said, I firmly believe that in the grand scheme of things Nelly Furtado is what Madonna was in the 80s and what Bjork was in the 90s, which is a true pop artiste and innovator. I will continue to support her, whether she hits or misses.

  • BTHE1983

    omgosh can someone PLEASE PLEASE rip this in the high quality from that lyric video. I need an official, mastered version to jam out in the car..I LUV NELLY!!

  • Popblock

    I really hope she does not release the album anytime soon. Nearly six years waiting and this is what she delivers? “Big Hoops” was great but like you said it sounds too outdated. I feel like Nelly is much more of a collaborator when it comes to production. “Loose” is her only album that really stands the test of time, and I attribute that to Timbaland instead of her. “Folklore” and her greatest hits single were both horrible musically and this is following in the same path.

  • http://twitter.com/ericyumyum I’m with Beyonce

    I don’t like it. Next please.

  • http://www.facebook.com/lucaswoodstock Lucas Oliveira Dantas

    indeed this is no where close big hoops. but i can’t wait for the album.

  • Priscilla

    Got to support my girl, Nelly, who has always been an innovator and set the trends that everyone follows (Justin Timberlake and even Madonna who wanted to work with Timbaland because of “Loose”). And by they way, Nelly contributed a LOT to the success of “Loose”– that was her mindset, her lyrics, her melodies, her life. I admit the “Jazze Pha” production made this song seem too busy. But this song has grown on me. In today’s world, where pop can be so vacuous, this song is uplifting with a strong message about tenacity, fearlessness, strength to overcome any obstacle and the pursuit of happiness. What does commercial success mean today anyways? Look at the vast number of albums that “sell” but there is no creativity, innovation, imagination or message(s) in them or they tend to be too preachy (*coughs* Born this Way). Nelly could have followed the trends and released a soulless dance record but she stuck to her artistic integrity and personal truth. And for that, she has my undying support. By the way, Nelly always had a nasal tone. In fact, when Whoa Nelly came out, many people couldn’t stand her voice. If anything, blame Jerkins who produced this song. I am sure he could have made it sound less nasal.Anyway, Nelly keep being indestructible!

  • ShaneG

    at 1:05 I became irritated because they spelled RHYTHM wrong. What the fuck is RYTHYM?

  • Jake Kelly

    I have mixed feelings about this. :/

    http://jake-freshtodeath.blogspot.com/

  • Bthe1983

    PROPH, could you also tell me when the release date for the itunes single will be, I WANT IT NOW! :/ Nelly is a true artists and innovator. she shows soooo many sides to her, I love artists who do that..

  • http://twitter.com/themusicprophet The Music Prophet

    You know what’s frustrating about this single is that I honestly don’t feel comfortable saying anything about it at all. I feel like it’s just like P!nk’s ‘Blow Me’. Both songs are respectable from the these women, but at the same time, both feel completely reductive and boring. It’s the same situation that Madonna dropped on us with her MDNA singles …. MDNA felt rushed …. P!nk’s upcoming project already feels rushed … but Nelly? She’s had 4 years to work on this project? It’s been scrapped, re-named, scrapped again, and now pushed back. To push it back for this single though? I’m thinking that was a mistake. It’s catchy … but the Proph is right …. up until about a minute in … it’s pretty dull. I’ll be surprised if this manages to chart. Sad thing because I am such a huge Nelly Furtado fan. I love, love, loved her first 2 albums, and despite the HUGE shift in sound for her last one ‘LOOSE’, I even grew to love that as well. This new single though feels like a mis-step.

  • http://twitter.com/themusicprophet The Music Prophet

    You know something, the points you just left here honestly just pulled me on board with this song! I loved ‘Big Hoops’ so I was a little bummed out by this one …. but you’re right, the fact that she manages to maintain some artistic creativity is a cool thing at the end of the day!

    Kudos!

  • LizzyG

    I agree her voice sounds odd on this track and I’m disappointed about that because when she premiered it live first I fell in love with it. It’s so different from anything out right now in sound and lyrics. The lyrics actually have a deep meaning and it’s so refreshing in this shallow world we’re living in these days. I’ve got the live version on repeat. And Big Hoops was a banger. I’m sad for all the people who are so stuck on today’s trends that they can’t listen to this stuff. AND it’s really not like her Loose era, non of those lyrics were deep (Promiscuous Girl? Come on.) That was just a fun record. I feel like this will be a combination of Loose and her earlier stuff and I love it.

  • LizzyG

    Actually regarding Loose, Say It Right had some depth and I loved the bonus track Undercover. And I know this was Timbaland’s but Give It To Me was hot as hell. And has anyone heard her song Stars? It’s absolutely beautiful, if not check it out (I think this version is sped up but the real version is on itunes) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUO-e-G_2SY

  • http://www.facebook.com/carlos.a.cano Carlos A. Cano

    Dont be unfair, its been 2 1/2 years , she said she started working on it during Mi plan Tour. Not all english fans are being fair with the fact that After Loose she released a Spanish Album which was a huge hit In Spanish countries, and was in the making from 2007-2009. She is the first English speaking artist who made it to number 1 latin billboard with an original Spanish song. It was so good tht it won a Latin Grammy.

  • http://www.facebook.com/carlos.a.cano Carlos A. Cano

    It was not 6 years in the making. At most 3, she started working on this during her tour for her Spanish album, which was like 2.5 years ago.Dont be unfair, its been 2 1/2 years , she said she started working on it during Mi plan Tour. Not all english fans are being fair with the fact that After Loose she released a Spanish Album which was a huge hit In Spanish countries, and was in the making from 2007-2009. She is the first English speaking artist who made it to number 1 latin billboard with an original Spanish song. It was so good tht it won a Latin Grammy.

  • http://www.facebook.com/carlos.a.cano Carlos A. Cano

    I agree MDNA feel rushed indeed, william orbit stated his bad opinion. About the production , but I BLAME INTERSCOPE , this label is hurting both Madonna & nelly career. Big hoops had very little promotion. No vevo ad like the competition had, no iTunes banner. Nelly was promoting the single in US when dropping in Europe, and when it dropped in US she was in Europe. I dont think if there was any worse PRomotion campaign ever in pop music, even worse considering the freshness of big hoops. Also the ‘illuminati’ comments hurtled the video, but nobody did anything about it. I think Interscope is doing what arista did in the early mid 00s which was ditching the care and thoughtful promotion for old acts. Focusing only in new ones, (gaga in this case) and forgetting about old ones, like arista did with Whitney for example. Now doing it with M & nelly. My two most favorite artist ever. Only misguiding their production teams by pushing deadlines. In a assembly line approach to music. I hope nelly does like shakira and pink did when Hershey realized their labels were not interested in them as before, and change to a new label.

  • http://www.facebook.com/carlos.a.cano Carlos A. Cano

    If he is doing that. I just lost him all respect. Not being fair with nelly….if he so stuck in his golden 98-00s age…he is being a creative weight

  • XXXo

    So true Folklore was her true gem. This is confused crap.

  • http://twitter.com/StopItLuke Luke

    REALLY?! I love this song! It’s like the more upbeat sister of “Say it right”… The beat doesn’t seem outdated to me either it’s just not part of the popular dance thing going on at the moment and I think that’s a good thing, If things are gonna change somebody has to take the first step. I prefer the live version of this but the studio is good too, I think it has more general appeal than “Big Hoops (Bigger the better)” which I also loved btw.

  • http://twitter.com/StopItLuke Luke

    She sounded less nasal singing it live in France.

  • TLo

    This is the time where she is being tested whether she will stay true to herself or follow the industry pattern by doing dance and pop.

  • bobs

    I want to like this song but I don’t.

  • shady1

    Wow way too harsh Proph!!! I love Spirit Indestructible, Nelly remains one of the few artists who have something to say and doesnt rely on tacky stunts, weaves/coochie pops and dance/techno crap. I am really digging this project so far….the only reason people are rejecting it because its so different that what our ears have been forced to hear for the past 4 or so years thanks to SuckOne and Lady Crap Crap.

  • adrian

    Co-sign with everything you said! This is the type of song that today needs. I like it for what it is (and honestly it’s very unlikely they’re going to change it) but it definitely could have been bettered up – I’d have liked more guitars, less frenetic beats and more refined vocals. But the lyrics and melodies are indeed perfect, esp the bridge part where she goes “and though they may / take you away / you’ll never break” – I have to admit, it’s life affirming stuff.

  • adrian

    People always assume a gap between albums is the amount of time an artist works on an album, don’t they.

    I don’t get all the hate/criticsm for Folklore, even the critics were ganging up on her back then – thankfully there were those like BBC who had some sense and gave it a deserved praise. I love all her albums, but I have to say Folklore is her overall best work thus far, it’s more rounded up and full bodied. Plus it boasted one of the best ballads ever in the form of “Try”.

    On second thought, it’s kind of ironic that had she released “Try” today, it could actually be a hit…

  • Popblock

    What you say is true, and I typed this up pretty fast so my mistake when I said six years. Still, the amount of time she has had and these results just don’t make any sense. I re-listened to her first record after I wrote that and my god, between that and ‘Loose’, I don’t see how this is the same artist. It’s not just her though, music in general this year has just been boring.

  • http://twitter.com/BrotherlyLover Brandon Baker

    I’d love another “Say It Right” from her, but sadly, I think Nelly Furtado’s best days are behind her.

  • Heavymetal

    This was a great post. Have yet to hear the song, as I Stan I will download it but I love your honesty and critique on the song without feeling the need to personally bash it. Bravo

  • Greg M

    For me, her vocals are the only thing that ruined the song for me… She sounds so shrill and just plain awful

    I’m disappointed right now because both P!nk & Nelly have served up some crap singles :(

  • http://twitter.com/Melo_R0 Mel R

    You’re tripping proph. The production on big hoops was great but the lyrics were some straight up B.S, and her vocals were nasally. The only thing that harms this song are the nasally vocals. In my opinion, it’s superior to big hoops. The beat goes just as hard, but this song has an actual meaning behind it and lyrics that don’t suck hairy balls. She pulls this song off a lot better live; Her vocals don’t sound any where near as nasally or crusty.

  • http://twitter.com/TheHomosocial The Homosocial

    I’m not so bothered by the song.

    I agree with the vocal comments, both this and Big Hoops only highlight how limited her vocals are.

    We’ve seen the same thing with Madonna, Nelly needs a team around her that can say, NO – THAT SOUNDS TERRIBLE.

  • adrian

    Exactly. Her voice is a style uniquely hers… she won a Grammy and a Latin Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal, for god’s sake. Just listen to I’m like a Bird, Try, Manos al Aire… that’s her real voice. I don’t know why they did what they did to her voice on this one… on Big Hoops it’s not that noticable amongst the beats and blips, but it just doesn’t work here.

  • Frank

    After a rough start, “Spirit Indestructible” improves dramatically at the 1:50 mark, when Darkchild throws in some more interesting beats, Nelly starts howling about being unbreakable, and some awesome guitar strumming makes a welcome entrance, but it’s still not enough to save the song.

    Um, there’s no guitars there

  • theprophetblog

    The big hoops lyrics are good! It’s Nelly singing about when she first used to go out when she was a teenager and how her flared jeans and big hoops made her feel confident and on top of the world. It’s a nice and fresh spin on predictable feel good party songs