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Colour the Small One
RRP: £8.99
Our Price: £4.37 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Listening to Colour the Small One seems almost rude, as though you've just crept into someone's bedroom unannounced and read their diary, or even eavesdropped into a private conversation. A lot of this is down to Sia's voice; a soft, intimate, languorous affair that has the unsettling effect of being simultaneously sad and seductive. A couple of years on from her R&B-tinged debut and those classic pairings with Zero 7, the Australian vocalist has come a long way. The music here consists of basic frameworks of rhythm, enhanced by subtle percussion, folky harmonica and nothing more obtrusive than that secretive, melancholic voice. There's certainly room to breathe and Sia unfolds at her own leisurely pace. Opener "Rewrite" works the sad verse/sunny chorus formula to perfection, while "Sunday" turns "Strawberry Fields" harmonium into big orchestral trip-hop. "Sweet Potato" sours the flow, sounding contrived and too like Nelly Furtado for its own good, but "Bully", a collaboration with Beck Hansen, has a sweet melody that belies its subject matter. As cries for help go, this is up there with the best. --Paul Tierney
Live is best
Review date: 2007-07-31 Rating: 6 out of 10
Sia has a wonderful mesmeric quality to her voice. I, like most people, bought this CD off the back of her vocal performances for Zero 7. Although Colour the Small One is a decent enough collection of music, I have to say that I was disappointed with the vocal performance on this CD. It goes to show you that even the best performers need good music and top quality production a la Zero 7. If you are a fan of Sia's vocal talents from Zero 7, get Lady Croissiant instead. Her live performances are more confident and powerful. I hope she can bring this confidence into her next studio album.
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Reviews
Amazing
Review date: 2007-06-07 Rating: 10 out of 10
This is another brilliant album from Sia. She may be best known for 'Breathe Me', which I love with a passion, but this album delivers so much more. It is perfect dinner party background music, but need not be relegated to that alone. I find it great to kick back at night and put this (or her live album 'Lady Croissant' which is also fantastic) on and relax to her smooth, beautiful voice and let my cares slip away. If you know her from Zero 7, or even just from 'Breathe Me', this album is well worth a try, you will not be disappointed.
Stunning- sublime- here's to the next one
Review date: 2006-07-21 Rating: 8 out of 10
I first encountered Ms Furler on the Six Feet Under Soundtrack, alongside Zero 7 Distractions. Having then found her debut album Healing is Difficult- I became a true believer.
This follow up album is quite a surprise as it is SO different to H.I.D, a softer sound, less funky- but amazing vocals.
Highly recommended to anyone who loves her Zero 7 tracks- and having had the honour of seeing her perform live with Zero 7 this year- 12 tracks no less!- am very much looking forward to the new album being recorded whis year. check out www.siamusic.net for further info.
Excellent for the most part
Review date: 2005-07-28 Rating: 8 out of 10
Like many reviewers, I came to Sia's music having first listened to Zero7. Here, however, Sia does her own thing and anyone expecting more Zero7-esque tracks could be disappointed.
The album is obviously a very personal work for Sia - reflected in the subject matter of 'The Bully' for example - in her own words: "I just wanted to write an album that was me: a small, weird, needy freak. It's a slow burner, but it's honest."
Highlights for me are the simple but addictive 'Sunday', 'Moon', 'The Church Of What's Happening Now' and the up-tempo, dancey number, 'Where I Belong'.
I have to to confess, though, that a couple of tracks just don't do it for me: 'Sweet Potato' and 'Butterflies' are too twee and I can forward-skip past these and not feel I've missed anything important.
In all, an album worth having.
Allow time to breathe
Review date: 2005-07-06 Rating: 10 out of 10
Having seen Zero 7 tour in 2001, I kept the name Sia Furler in my memory and bought this soon after it was released. Although different from the work she's done with them, this is a delightful, soulful album that has grown on me. Tracks, including the opener, that didn't seem to hit the mark blend into the overall feel.
The album develops an involving arc, that spans from the emotionally withdrawn 'Rewrite' to the near cathartic 'Where I belong', sharing many moments of discovery in what she's described as a very personal album. The intimacy that it develops is well maintained but does not stop the songs from varying. The charming, funny 'Sweet potato' and the almost anthemic 'Church of What's Happening Now' move the pace of the album away from predictability. It took a little while before I thought of it as a '5' but did warm to it immediately.
Her success with Zero 7 and inclusion on the keenly anticipated Six Feet Under 2 compilation suggests that her star will continue to rise, and I hope with the beauty and intimacy of this album.
Product Details/Specifications
Artist(s):
Sia
Recording label: Go Beat
Manufacturer: Go Beat
EAN: 0602498660997
Binding: Audio CD
Release date: 2004-01-19
Universal product code (UPC): 602498660997
Number of discs: 1
Disc 1 Tracks:
1. Rewrite
2. Sunday
3. Breathe Me
4. The Bully
5. Sweet Potato
6. Don't Bring Me Down
7. Natale's Song
8. Butterflies
9. Moon
10. The Church Of What's Happening Now
11. Numb
12. Where I Belong
Publishers: Go Beat