Sia - This is Acting [Review]

Exploding into the mainstream music scene in 2014 with 1000 Forms of Fear, after simultaneously performing and writing songs for years, Sia has become an unstoppable force in the industry. Penning several successful tracks for other artists including Rihanna and Beyoncé, Sia made the transition from behind the scenes to centre stage – despite the fact that she isn’t all too fond of fame itself, and chooses not to show her face during performances, opting instead for her signature silver crop wig. What does a successful song writer do when the tracks she creates are turned down by their intended artist? Fuse them all together to create an interesting new album, of course!

This is Acting is all about the different ‘roles’ Sia is playing by taking on songs designed by her for other artists, and in this way, she is toying with different personas, and acting her way through their ‘style’. In some songs this is quite literal, as she puts on slight accents and adjusts her vocal delivery to give a convincing performance as that star – ‘Move Your Body’ is a prime example of this, as Sia puts on an uncanny Shakira impersonation that the Colombian would be proud of. This is acting at its best, and Sia is a seasoned professional.

A risky venture, Sia manages to pull it off for the most part, and in some cases we get some unexpected gems from the singer. ‘Cheap Thrills’, an exotic EDM mash-up that is very ‘Pon De Replay’ – it’s almost an exciting game in itself to guess who each song was written for – and full of good old summer fun. If you’re on the look-out for the next ‘Chandelier’ then you may find it in the form of ‘Alive’, a powerful anthem that stretches Sia’s vocals to their limits; the end result is quite something. ‘Unstoppable’ is an invigorating delight that is a cheat-sheet for how to make the perfect pop song, whilst ‘House On Fire’ will surely add a bit of spark back into your life with its passionate simplicity.

Of course, for every success there are usually a few missteps, and Sia is not without fault, as tracks like ‘Reaper’ fall flat and don’t possess the same power or acting prowess to see them through to a sturdy finale. Similarly for ‘Sweet Design’ which sounds like a disappointing tribute act to some jazzy pop singer.

While This is Acting is almost like parody, and far from her most personable album (after all, that is kind of the point), it is actually rather clever in the way in which it manipulates songs written for other singers and gives them the ‘Sia effect’. What this means for her future is uncertain, but Sia’s latest album is a testament to her impressive ability as a songwriter and most importantly, her versatility as an artist.