Sia - This is Acting

Sia
This is Acting
2016
Spotify

This is Acting is first and foremost a really good record, and that is pretty undeniable. What makes it more incredible however is when you learn that every track on this record was written by Sia and passed on by other acts. Beyonce, Rihanna and Adele all decided that one or more of these songs were not for them and thus they ended up on this record. This is Acting does not sound like a collection of throw away songs instead it is composed and sounds just like Sia should sound. Her quirkiness yet unrelenting passion for her art are evident form the very beginning of this record. The single off the record and quite possibly the best track is "Reaper". It has a bouncing quality that when paired with Sia's voice singing until it cracks is just something magical. You can hear throughout the album how these songs may hav ebeen designed with someone else in mind, but Sia fully takes them over and makes them completely her own. Each track then has it's own very specific vibe and energy, but they work together quite well.

What this album lacks from 2015's 1000 Forms of Fear however is that real strong emotional connection. Where Sia seemed to pour every ounce of what she was feeling into that album this record seems to be more content with creating big pop numbers. Thus it becomes more of a display of Sia's ability to write a marketable pop song rather than create an actual connection with the song. Even releasing this album however shows that Sia is in on that fact and more wanted to shove a middle finger at the establishment than actually put out something personal. "Sweet Design" is the biggest misstep, It is just a mix up of sounds that really seem to have no basis in anything. For someone who seems to be willing to do anything for their art this record takes on a few meanings that are often hard to discern. This certainly is not her best effort, but in the end Sia has proved that one track or one album will not define Her.

6.9 out of 10