Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(60/100)
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Blender
Entertainment Weekly	A−
The Guardian
Rolling Stone
Slant
Spin	(6/10)
The Times
Village Voice	(favorable)
Yahoo! Music UK

Folklore is the second studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was released on 23 November 2003 through DreamWorks Records. While the album did not match the success of her previous album in such markets as the United States and Australia, it did however become a success in several European countries.Folklore spawned five singles; Powerless (Say What You Want), Try, Força, Explode and The Grass Is Green. The album has sold three million copies worldwide.

The album's title was influenced by Furtado's parents' immigration to Canada, "When I look at my old photo albums, I see pictures of their brand-new house, their shiny new car, their first experiences going to very North American-type places like Kmart. When you have that in your blood, you never really part with it – it becomes your own personal folklore." The album also displayed a diverse sound but with a more rock-oriented, acoustic approach. Furtado attributed the mellowness of the album to the fact that she was pregnant during most of its recording. "Saturdays" features vocals by Jarvis Church and "Island of Wonder" features vocals by Caetano Veloso.

Folklore includes the single "Força" (meaning "carry on" or "strength" in Portuguese), which was written as the official anthem of the 2004 European Football Championship. Furtado performed the song at the championship's final in Lisbon, in July 2004. Other singles included the ballad "Try" and "Powerless (Say What You Want)", in which she embraces her Portuguese heritage; the song deals with "the idea that you can still feel like a minority inside, even if you don't look like one on the outside". Additional singles were released in certain territories; "Explode" in Canada and Europe, and "The Grass Is Green" in Germany.

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Wikipedia