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Mi Plan (Spanish for “My Plan”) is the first full-length Spanish album by singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado, and her fourth studio album overall. It was released on September 15, 2009.

First Impressions
It’s almost like a 360 degree turn as compared with her last studio album, “Loose“, which dealt with R&B elements and much heavier beats. I would be incense if she stuck with the R&B sound with latin-pop. This album retrospectively sounds like her past works before “Loose“. Being a spanish-language album, the latin influence and flavour is literally felt throughout, which is more good than bad.

As we all know, Nelly likes to fuse cultural elements of her heritage into her music. This album shows that point. In short, Mi Plan is a very commercial latin sing-a-long pop album in a non-annoying manner. And I didn’t skip any tracks on my first listen, which is rare.

Standout tracks

• Manos Al Aire (Hands in the Air)
  First single. It went number 1 on Billboard Hot Latin Tracks. It’s a very mainstream track, most people should be able to infected by this catchy song almost immediately.
• Más (More)
  If anyone miss pre-Loose Nelly, this song would probably jolt you down into memory lane. Hoping this would be her 2nd single.
• Mi Plan (My Plan)
  Featuring Alex Cuba. The title track doesn’t disappoint. An uptempo duet. Has a groovy latin beat.
• Bajo Otra Luz (Under Another Light)
  Featuring Julieta Venegas & La Mala Rodríguez. Another uptempo cut that will make you sing or hum along. It’ll definitely inject a ‘happy’ mood due to the melody of this song.
• Vacación (Vacation)
  A carribean influence song. Makes me wanna hit the beach immediately. =)
• Suficiente Tiempo (Sufficient Time)
  The most danceable track of the album. It retains the sensibilities that Nelly picked up from Timbaland. Extremely rhythmic with an 80’s vibe. Very remixable too. Hoping that this song would be released as a single. This song has a hint of “Say it Right“. I would say this is the lite and bubbly version.
• Fuerte (Strong)
  Featuring Concha Buika. This song sounds like it came off from the WOMAD festival. In contender I must say, due to it’s world music vibe, it fits rather well. For anyone who doesn’t know what WOMAD is (no, it isn’t woman gone mad), it stands for World of Music, Arts and Dance.
• Silencio (Silence)
  Featuring Josh Groban. A rather haunting ballad backed with a spanish melody. Josh sounds quite good here too. I don’t really like his stuff or any of his past works though.
• Fantasmas (Ghost)
  A hidden track after the last song from the album. Wonder why is it a hidden track as it’s great. An uptempo song.

Final Verdict
Overall, this album doesn’t have any cons. Even though I don’t understand spanish in general, I really enjoy this album to the max. I know many of you guys liked the Nelly of the “Loose” era . There are fans like me who followed her since the start of her career before she made it (commercially big) with Loose.

Actually, she won her first grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2002 with “I’m Like a Bird“. Nelly does has the ability to make world and cultural music appeal to the mainstream crowd. Even her “Loose” works are infused with trip-hop and cultural influences.

I guess this album and her upcoming Portuguese album world serve as an interlude that will get back and connect with her pre-Loose fans till her next English album, which will reunite her back with Timbaland again. I do think both Nelly and Timbaland does wonders whenever they collaborate. Even better than with Justin Timberlake. We shall see. =)

This album scores a 4 out of 5.