This Is Acting
by Sia
  • Record Label: RCA
  • Release Date: Jan 29, 2016
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 522 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 410 out of 522
  2. Mixed: 54 out of 522
  3. Negative: 58 out of 522
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  1. longjetty7
    Jan 29, 2016
    4
    This was a pretty risky move for Sia. Releasing an album of "rejects" is inevitably going to make people even more critical of it than they normally would, and I'm sorry to say that with many of these songs, it's pretty clear why other artists didn't want them. There are a few good songs like Bird Set Free, Alive, and Cheap Thrills, but for the most part this is a very bland album. Sia isThis was a pretty risky move for Sia. Releasing an album of "rejects" is inevitably going to make people even more critical of it than they normally would, and I'm sorry to say that with many of these songs, it's pretty clear why other artists didn't want them. There are a few good songs like Bird Set Free, Alive, and Cheap Thrills, but for the most part this is a very bland album. Sia is a talented songwriter, as you can tell from her other albums, but here it sounds like she isn't really being herself, as the title implies. She's trying so hard to be mainstream and appeal to the masses that she's lost much of her originality and appeal. Her vocals are what saves this album from being a complete failure, but otherwise there is a mediocre pop album like any other.… Expand
  2. Rapunxel
    Feb 3, 2016
    5
    I can understand why these songs were rejected, most of them are very uninteresting. There are still great songs like One Million Bullets, Move Your Body and Sweet Design, but This Is Acting sounds like a mess compared to 1000 Forms of Fear. A bit disappointing
  3. DavidEsc
    Jan 29, 2016
    5
    This album sounds just like "1000 forms of fear" i'm not saying that is awful, but she can do so much better, she need to do something different, but the album is not bad
  4. Tony_fenty
    Jan 29, 2016
    6
    Parace que a Sia lança as mesmas músicas desde Titanium. Tem que inovar, garota. Pior que nem de Alive eu gostei muito. Gostei no começo mas já abusou.
  5. Tonyo
    Jan 30, 2016
    5
    Album assez inégal. Après nous avoir proposé un solide album avec 1000 Forms of Fear, Sia revient à un album qui semble être un rejet d'anciennes démos.
    Que vient faire la chanson Sweet Design qui est assez inaudible?

    Saluons tout de même la puissance du titre Broken Glass qui est mon coup de cœur de l'album.
  6. All_ButTrU4
    Apr 15, 2022
    4
    Confessed to be a collection of rejected songs intended for other artists you cannot help but understand why those artists passed on these songs which at times compete for some of the worst in her catalog. But even so they are higlights that hint to a greater album and are in the best of ways reminiscent of her career best 1000 forms of fear. Songs like "the greatest" which have thisConfessed to be a collection of rejected songs intended for other artists you cannot help but understand why those artists passed on these songs which at times compete for some of the worst in her catalog. But even so they are higlights that hint to a greater album and are in the best of ways reminiscent of her career best 1000 forms of fear. Songs like "the greatest" which have this signature optimimism or "bird set free" which could fit easily on adele's 25. Her more off the wall experiments though challenging are a blast to get into such as "sweet design " or "Summer rain". Her vocals are a superpower that defends sometimes lyrically vacant songs.… Expand
  7. wildheart
    Feb 12, 2016
    6
    Sia Furler has come a long way since her great fifth studio album, "We Are Born", that should have been her big breakthrough. The singer/songwriter had a lot to bring to the pop industry and she proved it more than once on big, yet never quite unique, pop songs she wrote for major artists as Rihanna, Beyoncé or Katy Perry.
    After a very radio-friendly and heartfelt sixth album, "1000 Forms    Sia Furler has come a long way since her great fifth studio album, "We Are Born", that should have been her big breakthrough. The singer/songwriter had a lot to bring to the pop industry and she proved it more than once on big, yet never quite unique, pop songs she wrote for major artists as Rihanna, Beyoncé or Katy Perry.
    After a very radio-friendly and heartfelt sixth album, "1000 Forms Of Fear", good but too polished to be as fascinating as her early works, Sia who is now well-known as an artist, a songwriter but especially as a performer, reveals an album that is worth listening to for his concept : "This Is Acting" is composed by songs Furler has written originally for huge names of the pop industry but that were refused.
    The concept is fascinating, the idea is here and it makes the attention surrounding Sia's recent music worth it. "This Is Acting" is the testimony of an artist who wrote some of the biggest songs of these last few years without being acknowledged. It also highlights the fact that the pop industry hides talented artists (and writers) who will give their material to big names even though they could bring a lot more to the pop landscape than those superstars but they are not supported by their labels.
    "This Is Acting" is an important album. Unfortunately, the music isn't as fascinating as the concept. Sia's performances are truly outstanding, smart and they add a certain rawness to the unsurprising pop songs. The writing is good without being innovative and the production, even though it is sometimes catchy and nice to listen to ("Cheap Thrills", "One Million Bullets, ""Sweet Design" with that unexpected "Thong Song" sample), is pop at his most basic state.
    Saying we can understand why these songs were rejected was because they weren't strong enough would be lying : "Reaper" could have been a great Rihanna's single and "Footprints" would have definitely been a great addition to Beyoncé's recent works. On the other hand, the songs lack of personality (even though it's kind of the point) and consequently the important and interesting concept fall short.
    "This Is Acting" is still not Sia's comeback to her alternative roots, we are far from her innovative and creative pop. Yet, the new album is definitely worth listening to and it will please the massive pop audience expecting another batch of radio hits from Sia.    … Expand
  8. arcanjo
    Feb 2, 2016
    6
    This album is a mainstrean version of Some People Have Real Problems. As much as we have very good song working by themselves, even the dispretentious "Sweet Design", in a whole we have a scaterred album, a lack of sincronie between the tracks.

    On the other hand we see a a different, danceful, a party girl version of Sia, differently from the emotionally-happy We Are Born. Unfortunately    This album is a mainstrean version of Some People Have Real Problems. As much as we have very good song working by themselves, even the dispretentious "Sweet Design", in a whole we have a scaterred album, a lack of sincronie between the tracks.

    On the other hand we see a a different, danceful, a party girl version of Sia, differently from the emotionally-happy We Are Born. Unfortunately the Greg Kurstin production, even though is good dont make justice for the work, sounding like a repeated formula of the unique 1000 forms of fears. As we see a try to make the beats from it happen again and fail in its comparison we see a weak and unfair productio of what could be the most adventorous album ever from her. We can see it by the outsatanding track Reaper produced by Kanye West.

    Sia vocals never dissapoint though, So what we have is a good common pop album, and in a week that Rihanna released her alternative project ANTi, pop music fans can enjoy a record like This Is Acting for the next 12 months and this is enough to make a pop album a good album.    … Expand
  9. WillJonesM
    Feb 9, 2016
    6
    I like it. But do not sound different from the others works by Sia. The lyrics do not vary as formatting and some musics are very tedious. Some songs are very powerful like "Alive" and "Bird set free".
  10. Julia1d
    Mar 8, 2016
    6
    Potencial incrível! Me apaixonei nos primeiros singles, batida das musicas inconfundíveis como Sia faz, adorei seu novo trabalho. Legal de sua parte montar um álbum com todas as suas musicas rejeitadas por artistas mais atuais. 1000 Forms of Fear não passa a mesma prosperidade desse álbum.
  11. JeremySpears
    Feb 25, 2020
    5
    I really like Sia. Her songwriting is so good and she has her own style. Her voice is so beautiful and unique. This album was...a choice. The concept is just lazy as hell and doesn’t work at all. She recorded all the songs she wrote for other artists and the result is a messy, generic and inconsistent mess. The album does have a few good moments but there are so many boring songs. It’s notI really like Sia. Her songwriting is so good and she has her own style. Her voice is so beautiful and unique. This album was...a choice. The concept is just lazy as hell and doesn’t work at all. She recorded all the songs she wrote for other artists and the result is a messy, generic and inconsistent mess. The album does have a few good moments but there are so many boring songs. It’s not a boring album but like more than half of the 16 songs sound like fillers that were recorded last minute. Try to sit through that for an hour. Favorites: The Greatest, Alive, Bird Set Free, Cheap Thrills, Unstoppable, Jesus Wept & Midnight Decisions… Expand

Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Most Discussed Album of 2016
59
#59 Most Shared Album of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 30
  3. Negative: 0 out of 30
  1. No Ripcord
    Feb 16, 2016
    70
    Every track is a potential hit, and Sia’s use of pure pop hooks, coupled with an astounding control over her rampant voice, makes this a very good record.
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  2. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Feb 8, 2016
    50
    There are only so many times you can key into someone’s heart before they change the code, and after about 20 listens, the veneer crumbles a bit, and it’s a little too easy to see the gears turning underneath. But that’s not the most frustrating thing about the record; the most frustrating thing is that Sia has so much access to us and just doesn’t do much with it.
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  3. Q Magazine
    Feb 4, 2016
    60
    One can't shake the feeling that This Is Acting was compromised from the start. [Mar 2016, p.114]
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