The Ride (Nelly Furtado album)

The Ride has been described as a rock-influenced pop and indie pop album[7][8] that incorporates elements of R&B ("Pipe Dreams"), synth-rock ("Sticks and Stones") and piano ballads ("Carnival Games", "Phoenix").[9]

Furtado initially worked alongside producer Mark Taylor on material for The Ride.[10] She had wanted to work with Taylor ever since he had produced "Broken Strings", her 2008 duet with British singer-songwriter James Morrison.[11] Shortly after splitting with her manager, Taylor sent Furtado an email informing her that he had written a song called "Sticks and Stones" (originally performed by English singer-songwriter Arlissa), and said it would suit Furtado's voice. She responded by saying she loved the song and wanted to record it, but also expressed an interest in composing new songs with him and his regular collaborator Paul Barry.[12] Working from Taylor's studio in Ripley, Surrey, "Phoenix" was the first song composed by the trio.[10] Furtado said she "kind of hit bottom" a week prior to writing the song, elaborating that she had been going through a rough patch in her life at the time.[11] The trio also composed "Bliss", which would be included on the deluxe vinyl.[13]

Furtado was introduced to Dallas-based producer John Congleton in August 2014 by American indie rock musician Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, whom Furtado first met in Japan in 2012. The material produced by Congleton is decidedly more artistic than anything previously released by Furtado.[14] The first song the pair wrote together was "Flatline",[11] and emerged from Congleton's criticism of the pre-prepared GarageBand demos Furtado had created in preparation for their sessions. She explained: "He didn't like anything. Then, luckily, I remembered this melody – the chorus of "Flatline" – and I sang it to him, and he was, 'Well, I like that. Let's do that.' He had already booked session players for the next day. I showed him my first draft of the lyrics for [the song] and he was tinkering away at the music, and he said, 'Those are all right, but I think you can do better. I think you can dig a little deeper.' And here I am – six albums in – and I'm just thinking: 'Wow. Okay.'"[14] Furtado, who recorded a total of sixteen songs with Congleton,[15] described the album's sound as "modern pop-alternative".[16]

While recording The Ride, Congleton introduced Furtado to people involved in the local Texan art scene, including Samantha McCurdy, who would create the album cover. It consists of Furtado clutching a bouquet of flowers and two hands holding a pyramid-shaped piece of wood behind her, while a green protrusion on the right side of the image closes in on her face. The cover would prove divisive, with Furtado disabling comments on the image when it was revealed on her Instagram on 12 December 2016. She later said of the cover, "To me, it's a little bit vulnerable. I like that it conveys a feeling of humility", and explained that disabling comments on the image was in part a reaction to the negative response to her performance of "O Canada" at the 2016 NBA All-Star Game.[17]

"Pipe Dreams" was released as the lead single on 15 November 2016.[18] When asked if the song was the first single from the album, Furtado responded by saying that she would not be releasing any singles from the album and that she would instead release songs that she wants to share, "which is all twelve", but the song was released to airplay.[19] Furtado released "Cold Hard Truth", along with the pre-order of the album, on 27 January 2017.[1]

"Sticks & Stones" was remixed by Metro with newly recorded vocals by Furtado in May 2018.[20][21] It later reached number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.[22]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.1/10[29]
Metacritic	64/100[30]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[31]
Clash	5/10[32]
Exclaim!	6/10[33]
The Guardian	[34]
The Irish Times	[35]
Now	[7]
Pitchfork	6.8/10[9]
Rolling Stone	[8]
RTÉ.ie	[36]
Slant Magazine	[37]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 64, based on 9 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[30] It also holds an aggregate score of 6.1 out of 10 at AnyDecentMusic?, based on 13 reviews.[38]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic compared The Ride to Furtado's 2003 album Folklore, but said that "she hasn't abandoned the deep bass and dance beats that propelled Loose."[31] Now complimented the record for incorporating harder elements;[7] Exclaim! applauded Furtado for her lyricism.[33] Lauren Murphy of The Irish Times also complimented the songwriting, praising the "beat-driven songs with air-punching choruses". While commenting on Furtado's statement that The Ride was her "hangover album", Murphy summarized her review by saying: "If this is the hangover album, we'd love to have been at the party."[35] Slant Magazine also compared the album to Folklore, and praised Furtado's "refusal to play to type [which] ultimately makes her something of a pop maverick—impossible to pin down but also improbably distinct."[37] Commenting on the album's commercial performance, a review from Billboard claimed it would be one of 2017's most underrated releases.[39]

Although Clash complimented Furtado's vocals and songwriting, they were critical of Congleton's production, calling some of the electronic songs "jarring".[32] Kate Hutchinson of The Guardian was also critical of his production, which she called "overpowering and overcomplicated." While comparing The Ride with the work of other artists, she said: "It's difficult to avoid making endless comparisons when an album feels so miserably storyboarded ... But at least The Ride does so with zeal."[34]

All tracks produced by John Congleton (track 6 co-produced by Mark Taylor).

Credits below are adapted from The Ride's liner notes.[40]