Some People Have Real Problems

Sound DNA

• Soul & Funk
• Funk

• lush
• playful
• soulful

About

The title of Sia's fourth LP, <i>Some People Have Real Problems</i>, signaled a paradigm shift for the ascendant Australian pop singer. Her previous two albums, <i>Healing Is Difficult</i> and <i>Colour the Small One</i>, dug deep into the recesses of her soul, mining emotional trauma for the sake of art and catharsis. But she was long overdue for an upswing, so humor crept into her lyrics, more upbeat arrangements framed her soulful vocals, and even a left-of-center visual style began peeking through. Sia officially left English downtempo group Zero 7 to focus on her solo career, and following the success of her 2004 single “Breathe Me,” she crossed the Atlantic and soaked up the California sunshine. <i>Some People Have Real Problems</i> arrived in January 2008, still filled with her signature, biting storytelling, but also tapped into the romantic pop balladry that made stars of contemporaries like Adele and Amy Winehouse. It was Sia's first album to chart in the United States due to the popularity of the track “The Girl You Lost to Cocaine.” The song's peppy marching-band arrangements contrasted sharply with the tale of a woman who abandons her drug-addled lover, choosing her happiness over becoming his next fix. <i>Some People Have Real Problems</i> treats the listener to a scenic ride out of the hell Sia once dwelled within and onto a heaven of her own making. Her decision to leave the hurt behind defines the record's early songs, jumping from the effervescent pop-rock of “Little Black Sandals” to the carnivalesque keys of “Lentil.” Later, for “Buttons,” she pushes away an insufferable lover over bouncy, groovy basslines. The song's music video features Sia in all sorts of facial contortions, wrapped in string and plastic, and even covered in laundry pegs—altering her visage into caricaturesque shapes long before that became her superstar avatar. Similarly, with the stirring, compassionate ballad “Soon We'll Be Found,” Sia began incorporating a sign-language interpreter into her live performances, heralding the inclusive, convention-defying art she would continue creating in years to come.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits