No kidding

Stop making fun of my Nelly Furtado records! I mean it! So what if local radio stations incessantly played “I’m Like a Bird” (the flattest song on her debut album) throughout 2001? A girl gets too much major-label upsell, and suddenly she’s lumped together with Britney and Avril as an all-image, no-talent pop star that cool kids feel compelled to snub. Furtado excels in lyrical storytelling about such diverse subjects as helping her mom clean hotel rooms as a child, facing the universe on LSD, and her recent experience of first-time motherhood. Her words are woven into intricate musical compositions with contributing artists like the members of the Kronos Quartet, Bela Fleck and Caetano Veloso—resulting in complex vocal arrangements that defy sing-alongs at the same time that her melodic hooks demand them. Yes, I paid good money to see Nelly Furtado at the Crest Theatre on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $28.50 at the Crest box office, located at 1013 K Street. Yes, I’ll save you a seat (and, no, I won’t tell anyone I saw you there).