2008 Woodie Awards
Sia breathes life into new album
Jamie Gilbert
Issue date: 3/9/06 Section: Entertainment
Her name is Sia.
It's pronounced 'See-ah' and is just as original and sweet sounding as her voice.
With both parents being musicians, it was impossible for this young Australian beauty to escape being given a name that would eventually, after years of hard work, become lovingly familiar to her fans.
Sia has had an admirable track record of flops and successes. In 2000, she had a top ten hit with her debut pop single, "Taken for Granted". She then released her first album, Healing is Difficult. After that she was given the chance to include her vocals to two tracks on popular British band, Zero 7's Simple Things album with hopes of more exposition of her voice and her album. With all these great things in order, she had planned for only bigger success from there on. Unfortunately, no one yearned for more.
After this full blown humiliation, months of therapy and self re-evaluation; Sia returned to the studio. With the help of well-known musician Beck, she recorded her second album. Colour the Small One holds deep in it the struggles of being at the height of her own musical career one moment, and then tumbling downward faster than she could sign her first autograph. The album unravels with soft-sweet pianos and claustrophobic beats of 'Breathe Me', to 'Sunday's' charming harmony and breathless mantra. It's a gripping album, strengthened by thoughts of emptiness and inability to feel anything what-so-ever. Her voice is one that catches the ear of the listener and doesn't let go. It serves as a whisper of strength and brings smiles to the faces of those who listen with attentive ears.
With the immense want for this album to be the exact opposite of what her last album was, Sia combined psychedelic, stifled sounds with gentle melodic strings. Her main approach was to keep herself miles away from anything that could possibly sound similar to her first album, which was categorized as being too "R&B" This album is more lyrically driven. She wanted to stay away from attempting to make it big with another "pop" album simply because it wasn't her style. The tones and feelings that project from her voice in her second album are ones that are intellectual, self-aware, and undoubtedly needy; which is what fans apparently wanted.
It's pronounced 'See-ah' and is just as original and sweet sounding as her voice.
With both parents being musicians, it was impossible for this young Australian beauty to escape being given a name that would eventually, after years of hard work, become lovingly familiar to her fans.
Sia has had an admirable track record of flops and successes. In 2000, she had a top ten hit with her debut pop single, "Taken for Granted". She then released her first album, Healing is Difficult. After that she was given the chance to include her vocals to two tracks on popular British band, Zero 7's Simple Things album with hopes of more exposition of her voice and her album. With all these great things in order, she had planned for only bigger success from there on. Unfortunately, no one yearned for more.
After this full blown humiliation, months of therapy and self re-evaluation; Sia returned to the studio. With the help of well-known musician Beck, she recorded her second album. Colour the Small One holds deep in it the struggles of being at the height of her own musical career one moment, and then tumbling downward faster than she could sign her first autograph. The album unravels with soft-sweet pianos and claustrophobic beats of 'Breathe Me', to 'Sunday's' charming harmony and breathless mantra. It's a gripping album, strengthened by thoughts of emptiness and inability to feel anything what-so-ever. Her voice is one that catches the ear of the listener and doesn't let go. It serves as a whisper of strength and brings smiles to the faces of those who listen with attentive ears.
With the immense want for this album to be the exact opposite of what her last album was, Sia combined psychedelic, stifled sounds with gentle melodic strings. Her main approach was to keep herself miles away from anything that could possibly sound similar to her first album, which was categorized as being too "R&B" This album is more lyrically driven. She wanted to stay away from attempting to make it big with another "pop" album simply because it wasn't her style. The tones and feelings that project from her voice in her second album are ones that are intellectual, self-aware, and undoubtedly needy; which is what fans apparently wanted.