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Some People Have Real Problems
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 20 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 8 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Hear
Release Date: 08 January 2008
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Pop
Summary
The third album for the Australian singer known for her work with Zero 7.
Also By This Artist: Colour The Small One
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly
She mixes it up with the sweet 'Academia' (featuring harmonies from Beck) and a soaring cover of the Kinks' 'I Go to Sleep.' But think of those as bonus tracks, adding flavor to an already stunning CD.
Read Full Review >Slant Magazine
Some People is stuffed to the rafters with love songs but they're never precious or cloying, even when the arrangements soar to rousing string/brass/choir-laden climaxes, or when the lyrics are comprised of little more than a string of clichés .
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
The newly varied arrangements, moods, and textures of this album, from the mournful piano-led cover of the Kinks' 'I Go to Sleep' through the horn-based R&B swing of 'Electric Bird' to the sarcastic bounce of 'The Girl You Lost to Cocaine,' make Some People Have Real Problems Sia's most engrossing and satisfying album yet.
Read Full Review >NOW Magazine
Her control has never been better and Jimmy Hogarth’s production provides the perfect foundation for her deeply delicate expressions.
Read Full Review >Billboard
Sia still brings enough weird on Some People to satisfy old-school fans.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe
Some People Have Real Problems reveals the other Sia: plucky, bubbly, and growling purposefully through assertive pop songs.
Read Full Review >The Phoenix
Her fourth album brims with sunny hooks on its best tracks, and the alluring opener, 'Little Black Sandals,' affords her a rich, layered backdrop.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
It just seems like everyone involved with Some People Have Real Problems wasn’t trying as hard. [Winter 2008, p.84]
Q Magazine
Fuler sounds wonderful on the woozy 'Little Black Sandals' and Ray Davies's 'I Go To Sleep,' though she could do with more restraint and better tunes to sing. [Feb 2008, p.100]
Spin
The album's finest moment comes on an aching version of Ray Davies' 'I Go to Sleep' that improves on the original (and the Pretenders' cover) by rendering it as a slow-motion, piano-splashed lament.
Read Full Review >Hartford Courant
There are glimmers of appeal elsewhere--the understated soul 'vamp on 'Day Too Soon,' or "Buttons,' the hidden rocker tacked onto the end--but the tunes feel too often like surface exercises that lack heart.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
A bit more edge would have been good to distinguish this from the wide range of comfy female songwriters out there right now.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
If Sia spent more time at the piano, and/or hired Robyn to write her a couple of tracks, the results could be marvelous.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Her lyrics lack both Wino's wit and realism, and her orchestral-pop backdrops are pallid. [Feb 2008, p.89]
Rolling Stone
The main attractions are Sia's smoky voice and quirky personality. Yet not enough of that personality makes it into the music.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
At times a potentially great song seems to be trying to make itself felt, but none ever quite manages to bust through the beige arrangements.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.6 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Steve C gave it a10:
Sia finds herself, both in voice and style, on this record. The cover art belies the carefree soulfulness that she brings to every note, while never losing masterful control of her instrument. And even if you're not a sucker for three-quarter time ballads like I am, "Soon We'll Be Found" is simply a magical piece of music.
