Released: May 3
Returning with her first body of work since 2021’s ‘Music’ (her 10th album overall), Sia proves proves herself to be in fine voice – even if the end result is patchy.
A melting pot of styles – from straight-up radio pop to tracks with disco, hip-hop and R&B flavours – the Australian star’s determination to push herself sonically is admirable across the 15 tracks, among which she occasionally strikes gold.
I Forgive You builds with a hypnotic piano line over which Sia delivers an impassioned, heartfelt vocal among the finest of her career, while closing number Rock And Balloon is another soaring moment that brings out the best in the star.
On the flipside, the Paris Hilton collaboration, Fame Won’t Love You, taps into her pop sensibilities while exploring the pitfalls of 21st Century life in the spotlight, alongside a collaborator who is a poster girl for ‘celebrity’.
Throughout her career, Sia has made no secret of the challenges she faced due to health issues and addiction battles, with much of the lyrical content on ‘Reasonable Woman’ tapping into her mindset of pushing forward and overcoming such strife.
It’s not the only time she leans into the past, with the earworm Kylie Minogue collaboration Dance Alone – a highlight of the set – drawing comparisons to her 2015 single Cheap Thrills. It, of course, pays off.
But at times, she tries too hard and the result reads as overproduced yet undercooked; whether it’s the 12x repetition of the title in the chorus of Gimme Love or the trap-influenced Chaka Khan collaboration, Immortal Queen, with lyrical touchpoints from ‘The Matrix’ to Queen Victoria pointing towards a lack of self editing (despite a slick performance from Khan).
It’s a problem that underpins much of the over-bloated set which, in truth, could be cut down to two-thirds of its size and offer a far more cohesive and digestible listening experience.
There’s no denying Sia is among the finest vocalists in the charts today but, having also proven herself on several occasions to be a premier songwriter, her latest work doesn’t quite live up to that legacy.
