Hot Grrrls, Cool Music - SIA FURLER

I went to see Sia Furler last night at Bowery Ballroom and she was absolutely stunning. Ahhh that voice-- so fricking rich, throaty and sweet, you can damn near see the molasses running down the microphone stand. If you don't know Sia by name, chances are you do know her songs. She is the lead singer of Zero 7 and she had one of the most memorably haunting songs last year that played during the final credits for this series finale. The song was called Breathe Me and it became Sia's calling card to US buzz and popularity. I mean more folks were wondering who sang that song than they were concerned about the actual resolution of the show's plot.

And last night, to a packed house, Sia did not disappoint. I went with Todd who turned me onto Zero 7 back in 2001 by buying me their CD and then by surprising me with tix to their first ever NYC show at Irving Plaza. What an incredible night! I've been hooked ever since. Last night, Sia dressed in a beautifully quaint white dress with black patent leather Vivienne Westwood meets Gucci strappy platforms, sung all of her songs including her hits with Zero 7. When, for an encore, she belted out Distractions as only she can with that crazy swooning drawl, folks simply went berzerk. Not in the crazy insane way but more in that hypnotized, I-Got-You-Under-My-Spell in a seduced type of way. It was a major goose bump moment! Citizen Cope, who's playing at Town Hall in a couple of weeks, just all of a sudden turned toward me smiling (probably cause I was doing my crazy Xena warrior holla). I was like, "she's dope, right?" He responded, "Oh yeah... she’s amazing!"

Sia's album dropped earlier this year and from what I'm hearing she has 5 songs on the new Zero 7 joint, which is dropping in June. Download it, upload it, borrow it, burn it, buy it... do what you gotta do, but don't sleep on Sia or on Zero cause their cd’s and especially their shows are the shizzniz! The following is a review I wrote for BUST:

Colour The Small One
by Nicole Moore

Death may not be proud, but when swathed in the lush, ethereal vocals of Sia Furler, it can be quite seductive as displayed in her riveting and legendary song, “Breathe Me” that played at the end of the finale of HBO’s obituary obsessed series, Six Feet Under. Now this London-based Aussie is making her voyage across the pond official with Colour The Small One-- her fantastic US solo debut. Like her sensuous hits with Zero 7 (“Destiny” & “In The Waiting Line”), Sia’s distinctive raspy, slurred drawl infuses songs like “Moon,” “Numb” and of course, “Breathe Me” with a certain contemplative melancholy that simultaneously smolders as it chills. On “Where I Belong” Sia funks up her downtempo with jazzy horns and soul rollicking drums that is reminiscent of Beth Orton on some Morcheeba trip. Colour The Small One is filled with languid pianos, pulsating strings and introspective lyrics that can even turn a song about a vegetable (“Sweet Potato”) into a metaphorical ditty about caring for your lover. Now that’s food for thought!