SIA

This Is Acting

Sia, née Sia Furler, has had quite the time since releasing 2014’s 1000 Forms of Fear. She claims that that record was put out to end a publishing deal, but the unforseen smash success inspired Sia to pen herself more pop. The result, This Is Acting, her seventh studio album, certainly hits the bullseye. The album boasts a smattering of songs that were intended for other heavyweights: the Adele and Tobias Jesso Jr. co- written “Alive” features a booming, soaring chorus not unlike “Hello,” while the tropical-tinged and bright “Cheap Thrills” is a Rihanna reject with a dancehall-derived drum beat and a children’s choir on the refrain. Sia’s vocal prowess is fully evident, with plenty of the vocal fry she’s known for (akin to Björk’s effervescent style, or Buddy Holly’s vocal hiccup technique). Her vocal play becomes a tad tired during “One Million Bullets” as she puts an exaggerated breathy spin on the pre-chorus, but she quickly transitions to blowing the listener away in the chorus. The heavy-hitting “Move Your Body” can be succinctly described as a club banger; the fun, bouncy “Sweet Design” amusingly samples Sisqo’s “Thong Song” and is paired with cheeky lyrics that reference someone who’s “got an ass like my sweet design”; the terribly catchy, Kanye-produced “Reaper” speaks of evading the grasp of the Grim Reaper and bad times in general. Regardless, Sia’s got an undeniable knack for writing empowering ballads and pop bangers, and both share the spotlight here. This Is Acting is a fine followup to 1000 Forms of Fear,

but doesn’t quite present anything extraordinary or new; Sia sticks to her established playbook, with messages of female empowerment, being forlorn, troubles in love and having unfettered, do- what-I-please kind of fun. Some of the tracks, like the first few ballads, feel a tad exhausted and perhaps a little cliché, but that’s the nature of Sia’s universal, inclusive pop music, and on This is Acting, she approaches it in an intriguing way and performs it with gusto. (RCA) COSETTE SCHULZ