Sia - Colour the Small One

Here's a repost of one of my amazon reviews:
This album is incredible. Let me expand. I, like many others in the U.S., was introduced to Sia by her single "Breathe Me" which blew me away and basically obligated me to buy this album right away. While Breathe Me is still my favorite song on the album, every song on this album is so good that I've been listening to it over and over again every day for months, and with the size of my library, that's extremely rare.

I've enjoyed her contributions on the Zero 7 albums for a long time, and I recently bought her debut solo effort "Healing is Difficult," but both of these projects differ from each other and sound much different than Colour. Her first album is much more beat-oriented, with infusions of R&B and a little jazz influence. Overall, the songs are musically sound and catchy, but her voice does not really get a chance to shine. Her work on Zero 7 accomplishes this better, and comes closer to the sound on Colour, but because it was primarily the work of the other two band members, it wasn't her own work and thus was not a proper representation of her talent.

Colour the Small One is a towering achievement, and deserves attention as one of the best albums to be released of late. Sia's voice is almost surreal in its beauty and range--sometimes a light, airy, but melancholy and seemingly effortless expression, other times a piercing, forceful, fluctuating unique sound that seems to serve a cathartic purpose, and certainly demands attention. It's difficult to describe the overall sound of the album, but perhaps a discussion of the instrumentation will be enlightening: there is an electronic component to the album, but it's by no means a dance album, and fits more into a chill category. The use of acoustic guitar is right on: the music isn't centered on it, but is beautifully accompanied by it. Piano provides a similar backing. Orchestral bits (cello, flute, etc.) only contribute to the overall feel and beauty of the album. Each song sounds different but they all seem to fit so well together. Many of the songs are composed of slower verses, and drawn out and repetitive choruses, but this is not a negative thing, because Sia's voice is all you want to hear, and it really shines in this album.

I don't really know who to compare her to, because her sound is so unique, but Tori Amos, Feist, a little Rachael Yamagata, and of course Zero 7 come to mind. Everyone of my friends who have heard any of her music inevitably ask who it is and love her immediately. Needless to say, I highly recommend this album. It is both sad and refreshingly hopeful at the same time. Breathe Me still blows me away every time I hear it, and I cannot stop listening to the other songs such as Don't Bring Me Down, Moon, The Church of What's Happening Now, and Numb....I also saw her live a few nights ago, and while I wasn't sure what to expect, again I was blown away. Never have I seen an artist have so much fun on stage, but also so in the zone while singing. That supports her talent: Sia is incredible in her songwriting and her execution. The lyrics are deep and meaningful, not superficial poppy stuff, and her execution is of the utmost maturity. You will love this album, it's too varied to be categorized, and too beautiful not to appreciate.