Originally from Adelaide, Sia Furler moved to the UK in the mid 1990s to launch her career as a downtempo R&B artist, gaining attention first as the voice of Zero 7 and then as a solo artist with the odd hit single. But over 10 years and four studio albums, Furler has slowly moved away from the effervescent ballads associated with songs like Zero 7's "Destiny" and her biggest solo hit, 2006's "Breathe Me". And according to Furler, We Are Born is the album she's wanted to make since 2006's Colour the Small One. Instead of catering to fans of that slow, sultry earlier work, she's brought in old and new songwriting partners to help her craft a fast-paced, upbeat pop album.
Greg Kurstin (Lily Allen, Ke$ha, Natasha Bedingfield) produced the album, and there are glimpses of his recent work-- specifically Allen's It's Not Me, It's You-- on the record's hits. But there is also a lot of the jangly, beat-led pop of more arena-sized British acts like Keane, perhaps credited to co-writer Dan Carey, who has worked with the likes of Franz Ferdinand, La Roux, and Hot Chip. Those hits-- "Stop Trying", "Clap Your Hands", "You've Changed", "Bring Night"-- are well-tailored to UK radio and club remixes. (Diplo has already put his stamp on "Clap Your Hands".) They also happen to be the best songs on the album. But some move too far away from Sia's wheelhouse: "Hurting Me Now" uses the bubbly vocal harmonies and disaffected delivery peculiar to Allen, to the point that it could be an It's Not Me track that didn't make the cut.
Many of the songs succeed because the stories sound like Furler's. "Stop Trying" has the vocal chants, clap-driven rhythm, and cutesy keyboards of an Alphabeat song, and the chorus-- "We like you"-- is insistent without being cloying. In her new video for "Clap Your Hands", she plays several Jim Henson-inspired neon creatures with Sia heads that dance and chant encouraging lines like, "Take a chance on romance/ We only get one chance at this." The music is sunny and more sociable, and it feels driven by the goofy personality that has gradually blossomed out of the brooding vocalist Sia was once pegged to be.
A cover of Madonna's "Oh Father" is one of few appearances of the lounge-ready music that dominates her other albums. Soft drums and even softer keyboard twinkles decorate Furler's inimitable tone and impressive twist-and-turn phrasing. But the instrumentation is too thin and the melodies are boring, which is also true of the waltzing "Be Good to Me" and "I'm in Here". All are examples of the old Sia, tucked discreetly into corners of the album.
Furler and her team are certainly going for it, but they don't reach for the boisterous electronics of pop stars like Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, and Katy Perry, which would be an unbelievable stretch. Instead, the electric guitar, played by the Strokes' Nick Valensi, is the instrumental linchpin of the album. It appears on many of the strongest tracks, underscoring melodies and driving momentum, and it suits Furler's voice. On "Big Girl, Little Girl", it introduces some of Charlotte Hatherley's jerky, acid-tinged rock, and Furler's flirty acrobatics mimic it, turning a catchy song into an infectious one.
