Sia - "Reasonable Woman"
I suppose this was a reasonable attempt
It’s only been about a decade since Sia finally broke through into the mainstream, and only about seven years since she got her own My Little Pony character in the 2017 MLP movie, but the Aussie who is best known for her wild wigs is already pushing 50; she turns 49 this December.
Maybe that’s why she seems to be pushing into her career so energetically. Admittedly, she doesn’t have as many releases as Taylor Swift in the last decade, but neither does anybody else. Still, Sia isn’t resting on her laurels, and that energy and passion is really the first thing that I really pick up on in Reasonable Woman.
The energy on the album isn’t just coincidental, though — the entire album is really very anthemic, with a tendency toward legato power chords.1 Something you don’t normally find in a pop album. There is something constantly harmonizing somewhere, which is nice.
I cannot speak to whether this is her normal style. I know of Sia, and I’ve heard some of her songs before, but I’ve never reviewed a full album. 2021’s Music was a soundtrack album, and thus not eligible for review; Reasonable Woman, Sia’s 8th studio LP,2 and the third album since her breakout in 2013, is the first legitimate album I’ve had the chance to review.
The songs are, largely, very pretty, with a ton of sonic depth. Unfortunately, it becomes difficult to pick one song from another and select favorites because, as a unit, the songs are very samey. Some, like “I Forgive You” or closer “Rock and Balloon” fall below the mid-tempo range which is pretty standard for the rest of the album. I think each of these will be solidly enjoyable in a broader playlist, but as an album, the sound grows stale pretty quickly — despite how pretty the songs are.
The only other serious flaw is the Paris Hilton feature. I mean, it’s Paris Hilton, and that should tell you everything you need to know about the quality she brings. She’s just sort of there…reminding us that she exists, and nothing else.
On the other end of the spectrum, Chaka Khan’s feature on “Immortal Queen” helps to define that song as the most unique, memorable songs on the album. Otherwise, only a handful stand out, and only barely. None of the songs make me gag,3 but largely, after acclimating to the pretty production value, the songs generally make me go ‘meh’.
Which is upsetting, because I did have a very positive reaction initially. This one just needed a bit more work dedicated to making each song feel more unique.
Rating: Yellow
Okay, to be fair, I could be wrong. As explained before, there’s a fair amount of training and experience that my ear lacks in picking up on what is technically happening in the music.
That said, Power Metal was my entry to the entire Metal supergenre, and it remains one of my absolute favorites. It is defined by its use of power chords, and what I’m hearing with the echo or mirroring in the vocal line(s) in pretty much every song is the same feeling I get from Power Metal guitars and the way Hansi layers his vocals in so many Blind Guardian songs.
If there’s a better or more technically accurate term for what I’m hearing, please educate me. But I hear it.
I don’t count soundtracks or Christmas albums.
Though, there is a knocking sound in “Towards the Sun” which has really started to grate me.