Sia-"Some People Have Real Problems" Review

The complication that comes with a sudden success isn't the newly acquired large-scale audience, it's dealing with the fact that with a larger audience, you now have to accommodate a wider range of personalities, and no one was faced with such a difficulty quite like Sia in 2008. After "Breathe Me" was used to soundtrack the final episode of "Six Feet Under", she couldn't quite keep her career afloat with the same acid jazz and cold electronics that made her a mild household name. Not that it was a bad fit, not by a long shot, but now a few more eyes are on this Australian singer-songwriter, so expectations for her album in the wake of her surprise success were raised considerably. Of course, Sia had already been making records for an upwards of ten years, so she more than willingly accepts the challenge. Also given: she pulls it all off masterfully. She makes no change to her lyrical subjects of love and self-worth, but she now places her unique diction in a mellow mix of soul and acoustic-pop. If that reminds you of Corinne Bailey Rae or Ingrid Michaelson, you're not too far off the track, since "Some People Have Real Problems" definitely glides upon its warm atmosphere, and best of all, it's familiar enough to be memorable right upon the first listen. Sure, there might be talk of drugs in "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine", but ultimately, this is domestic, feel-good music, perfect for a drive in the countryside, or chilling out on the patio on a bright summer's day. Included in the mix is a cover of "I Go to Sleep", sounding almost better than the original, while she livens it up with "Academia", an old-fashioned ode to brains over beauty in a relationship. Top it off with a bonus track, titled "Buttons", and you have a coherently entertaining set of songs that wind up being Sia's most effective work. If it drags around the oddly dull "Death by Chocolate", don't worry, the record replenishes its momentum with the gorgeous "Beautiful Calm Driving", which retains her jazz roots while expanding her indie cred. Definitely check this one out.

Recommended Tracks in Bold:

1. Little Black Sandals      2. Lentil                                              3. Day Too Soon

4. You Have Been Loved      5. The Girl You Lost to Cocaine 6. Academia

7. I Go to Sleep                      8. Playground                         9. Death by Chocolate

10. Soon We’ll Be Found       11. Electric Bird                      12. Beautiful Calm Driving

13. Lullaby                              14. Buttons