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Elly Roberts reviews
EMI
- May 2007
- Rating: 8/10
All songs are recorded live at the Bowery Ballroom New York on April 17 2006, except new studio song Pictures.
Sia Furler is best known for her vocal contributions as back-up for Jamiroquai,Massive Attack and Zero 7s album The Garden in 2006.
With 4.6 million plays on MySpace, its a strong indication the chanteuse isgathering a formidable reputation and following globally. This impeccablesinger shows her quality and class on originals from her first two albumsHealing Is Difficult, Colour The Small One, and covers of Zero 7’sDestiny and Distractions from Simple Things.
She handles and power ballads with equal efficiency and conviction, thoughbreaking the UK market may take some doing as a solo artist. Nevertheless,Sias Lady Croissant is an exquisite collection by a woman on top ofher game as she trawls through jazzy, soul, R&B that provide her with thegolden opportunity, live, to show what a beautiful, delicate and powerfulmelodic singer she actually is as a lead performer, as opposed to providingsupport for others.
Sia has grabbed her chance with sincerity and conviction. Theres of rawemotion, balance nicely with warmth and tenderness, found in bucket-loads inDon’t Bring Me Down (sounding like Fleetwood Macs Stevie Nicks) andBreathe Me, as used in the very emotional closing scenes of the SixFeet Under finale in 2005.
Melancholy is also her department, with violin drenched Blown It All Away.On Distractions, a stirring ballad, shes lets rip with equal efficiencybringing a massive cheer from the fans. Apart from Pictures, thereslittle evidence of her going down the populist route, because, most songs heredont have much chance of commercial airplay. And theres nowt wrong with that.
This girl is doing things her way, for which she should be admired. A remotepossibility is a cover of The Pretenders I Go To Sleep, a majorhighlight of the album.
She will be critically lauded for this effort, but commercial sales mightelude her, this time.
Weblink:siamusic.net
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Pictures (New studio song)
2. Dont bring Me Down
3. Destiny (Zero 7 song)
4. Blow It All Away
5. Lentil
6. Numb
7. I Go To Sleep
8. Breathe Me
9. Distractions (Zero 7 song)
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.