Sia – Some people have real problems (2008)

Last month Sia released her second disc in the U.S. It is her third or forth in the U.K. and Australia. Most of her fans, of course, came to know her through her vocals in the band Zero 7, which she shared the duties with Jose Gonzales, and others. Her first album,Color the Small one, was highlighted by the song ‘Breathe me’, which was used extensively by the HBO show “Six feet under.”

Here in, Some people have real problems, Sia continues with her slowcore, white girl soul sound, but now a tweeny pop sound comes in, and somehow it works. It is much better than Color the small one with the exception of the songs Sunday and Breathe me, wasn’t too much to write home about. This new one as a whole is better as a complete package, with a few strong tracks, but none as strong as the Zero 7-esque one’s that are mentioned above.

Still, there a few good tracks. My favorite is a wordy tune called Academia, which has a girlie “I am the Walrus” feel to it. Buttons is an unlisted and the last track has pop feel, and is the song that she opens up with in her live show. Electric Bird, Death by Chocolate, and You will be loved are all highlights of the disc.

It has a good flow: dark, slow, melodic. It is a chill album for those chill moments. Still it never is up to the quality of Zero-7, and is in no way a great album. I feel that I will forget about it soon as new and better stuff comes out. I like Sia, and this work is an improvement for her solo stuff, and it seems like record of transition.

I had the chance to see her in concert where she preformed most of the songs on the C/D. It did sound good live.

So, this is a good album but not a great album. Right now it is on my rotation of what I am listening too, but I am not that excited about it. For me it is completing with great outings by Radiohead and Jose Gonzales (who I am sure I will review soon), and that isn’t a fair, because those two works are probably in the best of the decade category.

Sia does deliver a heartfelt and definitely worthy work. The songs do grow on you. Still it never researches greatness. Maybe she will in her next.