Nelly Furtado: The Ride – breathlessly beat-driven tunes

It's been 17 years since her mega-hit I'm Like a Bird was released into the wild, but Nelly Furtado has traversed the worlds of hip-hop, R&B, pop and latin music since then, exhibiting her underrated versatility with no little flair.

Her sixth record – her "hangover album", as she has called it – wastes no time in setting out its stall as the grimy, juddering stomp of Cold Hard Truth and Flatline come bursting breathlessly out of the traps.

Cutesy pop is kept to a minimum with the playful Magic; otherwise, these are mostly sultry, beat-driven songs with air-punching choruses, Palaces drawing in an uplifting gospel vibe and Behind Your Back a smidge of 1990s TLC-style r&b. If this is the hangover album, we'd love to have been at the party.

[ nellyfurtado.com ]