Whoa, Nelly! (Dreamworks) At last, radio-friendly mainstream pop that makes it beyond the spectrum of sixth grade listeners. Described as urban pop by the 19-year-old Portuguese-Canadian Furtado, it's a hybrid of hip-hop, guitar, Latin and soul works to form a classy debut album. Unlike many of her hitmaker-created peers, this young woman is not just beautiful, she's talented. She wrote half of the songs on this release and co-wrote the rest. And her unusual, almost Macy Gray-esque voice is smooth indeed. Although not every song is a winner, the CD flows from one reasonable ditty to the next and a few tracks really shine - signalling a star whose development will be interesting to watch in the future. Having already teamed up with Elton John for a post-Oscars singalong, it seems North America has already cottoned on to this fact. Not afraid to call on her roots - and some of her hardcore hip-hop sisters - Furtado brings a real edge to what would otherwise just be sweet songs. She gets a little dirty on Baby Girl, a little meaningful on I'm Like A Bird and a little sexy on Trynna Finda Way. Meanwhile, Party showcases her at-times angelic vocal talent and ability to turn up the Latin heat. While she may soon be the idol every teenage girl wants to be, Furtado has the undoubted potential to be much, much more.