Some People Have Real Problems

iTunes Review

Australian-born folk singer Sia Furler first came to major attention in 2005 when her song “Breathe Me” closed out the HBO series Six Feet Under. Her third solo album, 2008’s Some People Have Real Problems, continues in this calm, sensuous, understated vein. Ray Davies’ “I Go To Sleep,” once brilliantly covered by Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders in the early ‘80s, is given a perfect music-box piano and strings accompaniment, while Sia’s duet with alt.rock enigma Beck for “Academia” provides a study in contrasts, as Sia’s playful, emotive drive meets Beck’s deep, downtrodden, deadpan tone. Furler has a tendency towards pop diva vocal twirls that add an unusual pop sheen to “Little Black Sandals” and “Death by Chocolate.” However, one shouldn’t assume anything with Sia. She’s clearly comfortable with her Feist-like role as a somber chanteuse in a smoky room (“You Have Been Loved”), yet given the chance to add an extra bump to her step for the sorrowful tale of “The Girl You Lost to Cocaine,” Sia throws her tough resolve into the mix.