You may not know it yet but Sia Furler's gorgeous voice is slowly but surely making a nice comfy nest in your subconscious. This time last year, the Australian singer/songwriter notched herself up a Top Ten hit with the Prokofiev-sampling, club-friendly hit 'Taken For Granted'. A month or so ago those same soulful vocals graced two tracks on Zero 7's marvellous 'Simple Things' album. And right now the Different Gear mix of her 'Drink To Get Drunk' track is doing rather well in Ibiza.
Tonight though (the second of two) the caring soul is raising money for a charity helping Bosnian children, while gently plugging her forthcoming debut album 'Healing Is Difficult'. In the hands of other people this may seem like a slightly cynical marketing ploy. But, as we are about to learn, part of Sia's charm is that she is a genuine and warm person, not to mention a fine performer with a huge voice.
Shame then, that quite a few of the songs played tonight, don't measure up to the sublime, mellow, sunstroked breezes of 'Destiny' and 'Distractions', the two tracks Sia graced on Zero 7's album. The fault doesn't lie with the singer's delivery. All at once tender and gutsy, forlorn and jubilant, Sia brings to mind the like of Nina Simone, Randy Crawford, Anastacia or Des'Ree. But whereas Zero 7's Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker provided her with beautifully drowsy, acoustic guitar and string-drenched backdrops, Sia choses a different musical style - a percussive, sometimes overly busy blend of jazz and funk, laced with Latin rhythms, steel drums and the odd nod to club beats and grooves -all delivered by a more than capable combo, who are working for free tonight ladies and gentlemen!
This reliance on grooves rather than songs means that most of Sia's set lacks that killer commercial punch. That cerain something which burrows into your skull and has you singing all the way home. Opening track 'Fear' - peppered with observations on friends' insecurities- is all funky twanging bass and stop-start rhythms as Sia paints such poignant pictures as "Ella is worried about her weight, she won't eat in public anymore, she's f**king her ex again, when they finish he sleeps on the floor."
'Drink To Get Drunk' is powered by lolloping lazy beats, ominous keyboard and twittering sax, Sia repeating the line "don't ask me why I smoke I don't know, but I drink to get drunk."
A version of The Police's 'Walking On the Moon' though shambolic, helps to highlight the lack of catchy pop elements in Sia's material at present. Likewise with set closer 'Taken For Granted', the power of Prokofiev's elegant, emotive strings, dwarfing the music inbetween.
This may all sound negative but in truth Sia is a compelling performer with a strong personality and a sound of her own. Tonight's highlight is without doubt 'Blow It All Away'. The song is stripped to the bare bones of piano and vocals, Sia clearly relishing the sweet harmonies she conjures with her piano player, her snaking soulful vocals revealing their full glory. The staccato rhythmed yearning of 'Sober And Unkissed' with its gently stroked guitar is another standout track, along with the band's meaty, drum and bass style reworking of the previously played 'Little Man'.
Tonight Sia came, she charmed and she made some new friends with her chilled, sensual grooves. All she needs now is a corking, poppy hit along the lines of 'Taken For Granted', although preferably not so reliant on the work of a deceased Russian composer. And, judging by tonight, she's definitely got it in her.
