Even if Nelly had his most successful single in years with 2010's "Just a Dream," his defining numbers go back over a decade before this 2013 release, with "Country Grammar" landing in 2000 and the massive "Hot in Herre" dropping in 2002.
The serene and smooth "Just a Dream" was also an odd duck for the party-time rapper as he always seemed more comfortable popping bottles and dropping drawers, so the semi-sweet M.O.
splits the difference, dropping "Just a Dream" sequels like the uplifting "Heaven" with Daley, and the less-successful "Headphones" with Nelly Furtado, a rap-by-numbers "we need something that sounds like B.o.B's 'Airplanes'" track.
The rapper Nelly's unique voice -- high-pitched but soulful enough not to be strident -- is surprisingly up to the task of these ballads, and he sounds sincere even when the material is unexceptional, but the creative flights of fancy found on his previous album, 5.0, are back too, only this time, they're the highlights.
"Rick James" with T.I. is a disco-funk joy fueled by Pharrell Williams in full Neptunes mode with live drums and a slowly rocking beat, but the album cut to cherish is the effortless stunner "Maryland, Massachusetts," where Nelly rattles off "Keep a bad bitch from St.
Louis to Vallejo/Your bitches they don't exist, Manti Te'o" and a bunch of other clever stingers.
That guests tend to rule their cuts as "Idgaf" is so Pharrell it's almost N.E.R.D., while "100K" sounds like 2 Chainz even before the rapper hits the cut, while Nicki Minaj drops the fantastic common misuse couplet "You should follow my example/Bitch i.e." during the excellent "Get Like Me." Still, that Minaj feature opens the album when it would have been better placed down the track list, and with some redundant numbers to consider, M.O.
is both a step up from his previous effort and a mixed bag to rejigger and edit.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get Like MeCornell Haynes, Onika Maraj, Pharrell Williams | Nelly | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 2 | Give U DatDetail, Cornell Haynes, Andre Proctor, Nayvadius Wilburn | Nelly, Future | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 29 MB |
| 3 | Rick JamesCornell Haynes, Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., Pharrell Williams | Nelly, T.I. | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 4 | HeavenDetail, Alex Goodwin, Cornell Haynes, Sidney Swift, Evan Taubenfeld | Nelly, Daley | Play | 03:23 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 5 | Maryland, MassachusettsCornell Haynes, Pharrell Williams | Nelly | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 6 | 100KDetail, Rasool Diaz, Tauheed Epps, Cornell Haynes, Abraham Mosses | Nelly, 2 Chainz | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 7 | All Around the WorldNicholas Audino, Kenneth Bartolomei, Kevin Crowe, Brandon Green, Cornell Haynes, Lewis Hughes, Tremaine Neverson, Erik Ortiz | Nelly, Trey Songz | Play | 04:07 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 8 | IDGAFCornell Haynes, Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., Mike Posner, Pharrell Williams | Nelly, T.I., Pharrell Williams | Play | 03:10 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 9 | U Know U Want ToCornell Haynes, Jevon Hill, Theodore Thomas, Theron Thomas, Timothy Thomas | Nelly | Play | 03:50 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 10 | My Chick BetterCornell Haynes, John Jackson, John McGee, Cameron Thomaz, Bertell Young | Nelly, Fabolous, Wiz Khalifa | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 30 MB |
| 11 | Walk AwayDiego Ave, Cornell Haynes, Rico Love, Pierre Medor | Nelly | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 28 MB |
| 12 | HeadphonesMartin Evans, John Goodier, Brandon Green, Cornell Haynes, Starley Hope, Allen Ritter, Andrew Roettger | Nelly, Nelly Furtado | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 33 MB |
| 46 mins | 107 MB | |||||
| 46 mins | 323 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Chainz | Primary Artist |
| 2 | Nicholas Audino | Composer |
| 3 | Kenneth Bartolomei | Composer |
| 4 | Kevin Crowe | Composer |
| 5 | Daley | Primary Artist |
| 6 | Detail | Composer |
| 7 | Rasool Diaz | Composer |
| 8 | Diego Ave | Composer |
| 9 | Tauheed Epps | Composer |
| 10 | Martin Evans | Composer |
| 11 | Fabolous | Primary Artist |
| 12 | Florida Georgia Line | Featured Artist |
| 13 | Nelly Furtado | Primary Artist |
| 14 | Future | Primary Artist |
| 15 | John Goodier | Composer |
| 16 | Alex Goodwin | Composer |
| 17 | Brandon Green | Composer |
| 18 | Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. | Composer |
| 19 | Cornell Haynes | Composer |
| 20 | Jevon Hill | Composer |
| 21 | Starley Hope | Composer |
| 22 | Lewis Hughes | Composer |
| 23 | John Jackson | Composer |
| 24 | Rico Love | Composer |
| 25 | Onika Maraj | Composer |
| 26 | John McGee | Composer |
| 27 | Pierre Medor | Composer |
| 28 | Nicki Minaj | Featured Artist |
| 29 | Abraham Mosses | Composer |
| 30 | Nelly | Primary Artist |
| 31 | Tremaine Neverson | Composer |
| 32 | Erik Ortiz | Composer |
| 33 | Mike Posner | Composer |
| 34 | Andre Proctor | Composer |
| 35 | Allen Ritter | Composer |
| 36 | Andrew Roettger | Composer |
| 37 | Sidney Swift | Composer |
| 38 | T.I. | Primary Artist |
| 39 | Evan Taubenfeld | Composer |
| 40 | Theodore Thomas | Composer |
| 41 | Theron Thomas | Composer |
| 42 | Timothy Thomas | Composer |
| 43 | Cameron Thomaz | Composer |
| 44 | Trey Songz | Primary Artist |
| 45 | Nayvadius Wilburn | Composer |
| 46 | Pharrell Williams | Composer, Featured Artist, Primary Artist |
| 47 | Wiz Khalifa | Primary Artist |
| 48 | Bertell Young | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |