Australian singer / songwriter Sia follows 2008′s ‘Some People Have Real Problems’ record with a slice of retro, electro-fused pop in ‘Clap Your Hands’. It starts off in promising fashion, strolling through playful 80′s territory a la Blondie or Cyndi Lauper, with just enough of a Squeeze influence in the bass and guitars to hint at an edge, setting Sia up as one of the more stylistically interesting pop vocalists to hit the scene. The production – handled by Greg Kurstin, whose previous credentials include Beck and Kylie – has one eye on the indie disco dancefloors, and Sia’s distinctive voice (think a less-bombastic Anastasia) would suggest she has all her ducks in a row for pop success. It’s therefore a shame when the chorus fails to get any sort of party started. Any song primarily about hand-clapping can afford to be lyrically trite, but to pull off lyrics advising you to “c’mon dance, take a chance on romance” you need to drop the inhibitions and surrender to the cheese, Euro-pop style. And it’s Sia’s obvious lack of confidence that fails to lift her beyond the realm of pop filler.
Aussie-born singer Sia is perhaps best known for her collaborations with Zero 7, but she is an established solo performer, and this is her fifth album. This is very much a pop record, but Sia’s singing is far more soulful than is usual for the genre, and this adds a touch of sophistication to what might otherwise risk being a pretty run of the mill album. ‘We Are Born’ opens strongly, with the first two tracks, ‘The Fight’ and ‘Clap Your Hands’ being fine examples of well-written pop songs. Many of the tracks are very well crafted; Sia has co-written several songs on Christina Aguilera’s new album and it’s not hard to see why she’s been drafted in. Here, she runs the full gamut of pop, from danceable numbers like ‘Bring Night’, though the more soulful ‘Hurting Me Now’ to ‘The Co-Dependent’, which makes more prominent use of guitars and rock influences. The problem is that in spite of this, she never pushes the genre’s limits. Maybe that’s for the best though, as it’s the simplest straight-up pop songs that are the most enjoyable on this album.
