Sia - Some People Have Real Problems (2008)

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By Sean Lynch

If anyone questions the legitimacy and power of the Internet, look no further than Aussie-turned-New Yorker Sia.

All it took was the blogging of a (albeit, pretty damn cool) Sia music video on the website of that blight on human existence, Perez Hilton, and the gal became an overnight sensation.

However, unlike most Internet fads, Sia Furler seems to have a fair dollop of talent on her side as illustrated in her latest opus "Some People Have Real Problems".

To be honest, this album has been sitting on my 'To Do' list for a few weeks now. I had never heard of the girl, and the Windows 95 Paintshop cover art didn't exactly scream "Major Label, Major Quality".

But, sometimes - fate just seems to work that way.

As the world's little engineers would have it, the same Friday night I decide to randomly throw the disc into the car stereo on my way home from the Wombat Offices - the eccentric blonde Aussie pops up on that night's edition of Late Show with David Letterman.

I know, I'm freaked out too.

I'm not saying I'm being watched - I'm just suggesting that perhaps now is now the time we all begin to wear aluminum helmets to avoid aliens drinking our 'brain juice' before the upcoming 'end of days'.

But I digress...

While not being able to completely put my finger on the voice (the best me and my girlfriend could come up with was Alicia Keys meets Nelly Fertardo), Sia's voice soars from the get-go.

Make no mistake, this album is nothing short of a revelation.

The soothing lull of opener Little Black Sandals sets you off on your journey, with it's catchy chorus and tone, while Lentil and Day To Soon exploit the Coldplay-esque 'Build to Euphoria' to perfection.

Sia's ability to nail the quiet build towards an explosion of strings is astounding. And while that template can get a little repetitive - it allows for some superb vocal acrobatics. You almost get the sense that "Some People Have Real Problems" is the album that Kate Miller-Heidke (and Kate Miller-Heidke's label) wished they had made, because it really is a quirky and often beautiful gem.

The Girl You Lost To Cocaine injects just the right amount of energy and radio friendly fun, before heading back into the heart breakingly touching ballads like Soon We'll Be Found (which is a truly astonishing track).

The YouTube hit Buttons, which really does boast one of the cooler film clips around, is a fine closing to proceedings which leaves the listener on an upbeat note that will have you whistling joyously for many days to come.

Sia's "Some People Have Real Problems" is a sign of an artist that is not just "Australia's Next Export", but moreso, "The World's Next Star".

RATING: 4 out of 5

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