Album title:
Some People Have Real Problems
Artist:
Sia
Label:
Monkey Puzzle
Australian chanteuse Sia's third album proper has been preceded by single Buttons, the video for which has become cult internet viewing and worth three-and-a-half minutes of your time during your next You Tube binge. However, it's quirky pop slant and easy disposability has meant that, fittingly, it appears here as a not-so-hidden bonus track. Sia it seems has grander plans for the album itself. Opening track Little Black Sandals has the kind of effortless, sassy pop groove that The Sugababes would swap another band member for, and Playground offers up some dark calypso syncopation into the mix, while The Girl You Lost To Cocaine is a joyous staccato stomp that finds our heroine celebrating her liberation from a 'wasted' relationship. Uplifting and melancholy in equal measure, Sia's honey-coated vocals show off her impressive range without appearing at all cloying or over-egged. The end result is simple: Some People Have Real Problems shapes beauty from despair with finesse. [Darren Carle]