Aussie singer/songwriter Sia Kate Isobelle Furler is back in the form of fifth studio album We Are Born after working with the highly-criticized-at-the-moment Christina Aguilera on her comeback LP Bionic (Sia is responsible for the heartwrenching ballad You Lost Me among others) and also contributing a track called My Love to the third installment of the Twilight saga's OST.
Quality is a trait highly present in We Are Born. May the song be carefree and fun, or downright serious and broody; it's a feature that just wouldn't go away. The album opens on a high with The Fight, which starts off with childlike, muffled yells and continually explodes into a hands-in-the-air chorus, making one ridiculously energetic pop anthem. Then comes the lead single Clap Your Hands, and the energy lives on. While not exactly the best track on the LP, it manages to go to great lengths in getting its point across. Stop Trying is one of We Are Born's highlights, and much like the previous two songs, possesses an infectious vitality, as well as being one of the catchiest tracks in the LP. Sia tones down a little in You've Changed, and we now hear the first of the love-related tracks and We Are Born swerves toward a mature route.
Be Good To Me slows the pace down and shifts to a bluesy sound filled to the brim with heart and soul. Sia brings back the clapping and the middleschool chanting in Bring Night, another album highlight. The hook drags you in slowly, deeply, then Sia unleashes soaring vocals that leave you weak in the knees and begging for more. The thing I like most about Bring Night is that it fits anywhere in the album. It can ease into the happier, more enthusiastic first tracks, but it's also perfect as a follow up to Be Good To Me. Not as fervent as Bright Night, though also not as intense as Be Good To Me, Hurting Me Now lies in the middle with its slightly bluesy yet pop sound and clanging bells. It is followed by Never Gonna Leave Me and the chorus is undeniably contagious in a 'the-sun-will-never-stop-shining' sort of manner. Cloud is the odd one in the bunch, very much different in structure. Though Sia calls herself a "dark cloud" in the song, the instrumentals are quite giddy, and the contradiction makes for one interesting track.
The album embraces a more solemn tone in I'm In Here. It's an emotionally-draining track with beautiful piano strokes throughout. The Co-Dependent brings back the clapping and the animated backing, though it is evidently more restrained than the first tracks on the LP. The same goes for Big Girl Little Girl, but halfway through the track Sia is stripped of the complex, heavy backing and sings along to a piano, a pleasant and goosebump-inducing surprise that ends the track on a beautiful note. Sia then covers Madonna's Oh Father from the Like A Prayer era, and does it wonderfully so.
All in all, We Are Born is a diamond. It evokes a wide variety of emotions. At one point a song might be utterly euphoric, and the next so heartwrenching and thought-provoking, stirring your very soul. As the album progresses, it grows from childlike all-about-fun vibes and steps onto more mature territories, developing heartaches and adversities, as well as thrilling undertakings along its course. Going back to the first thing I said about We Are Born, all the tracks bring out quality, however distinct they may be from each other. The beauty lies in the individuality that each song presents, but also lies in how all of these come together as precise pieces, forming what I would deem as one of 2010's best releases.
Quality is a trait highly present in We Are Born. May the song be carefree and fun, or downright serious and broody; it's a feature that just wouldn't go away. The album opens on a high with The Fight, which starts off with childlike, muffled yells and continually explodes into a hands-in-the-air chorus, making one ridiculously energetic pop anthem. Then comes the lead single Clap Your Hands, and the energy lives on. While not exactly the best track on the LP, it manages to go to great lengths in getting its point across. Stop Trying is one of We Are Born's highlights, and much like the previous two songs, possesses an infectious vitality, as well as being one of the catchiest tracks in the LP. Sia tones down a little in You've Changed, and we now hear the first of the love-related tracks and We Are Born swerves toward a mature route.
Be Good To Me slows the pace down and shifts to a bluesy sound filled to the brim with heart and soul. Sia brings back the clapping and the middleschool chanting in Bring Night, another album highlight. The hook drags you in slowly, deeply, then Sia unleashes soaring vocals that leave you weak in the knees and begging for more. The thing I like most about Bring Night is that it fits anywhere in the album. It can ease into the happier, more enthusiastic first tracks, but it's also perfect as a follow up to Be Good To Me. Not as fervent as Bright Night, though also not as intense as Be Good To Me, Hurting Me Now lies in the middle with its slightly bluesy yet pop sound and clanging bells. It is followed by Never Gonna Leave Me and the chorus is undeniably contagious in a 'the-sun-will-never-stop-shining' sort of manner. Cloud is the odd one in the bunch, very much different in structure. Though Sia calls herself a "dark cloud" in the song, the instrumentals are quite giddy, and the contradiction makes for one interesting track.
The album embraces a more solemn tone in I'm In Here. It's an emotionally-draining track with beautiful piano strokes throughout. The Co-Dependent brings back the clapping and the animated backing, though it is evidently more restrained than the first tracks on the LP. The same goes for Big Girl Little Girl, but halfway through the track Sia is stripped of the complex, heavy backing and sings along to a piano, a pleasant and goosebump-inducing surprise that ends the track on a beautiful note. Sia then covers Madonna's Oh Father from the Like A Prayer era, and does it wonderfully so.
All in all, We Are Born is a diamond. It evokes a wide variety of emotions. At one point a song might be utterly euphoric, and the next so heartwrenching and thought-provoking, stirring your very soul. As the album progresses, it grows from childlike all-about-fun vibes and steps onto more mature territories, developing heartaches and adversities, as well as thrilling undertakings along its course. Going back to the first thing I said about We Are Born, all the tracks bring out quality, however distinct they may be from each other. The beauty lies in the individuality that each song presents, but also lies in how all of these come together as precise pieces, forming what I would deem as one of 2010's best releases.
Rating:
4.75/5
4.75/5
