Track Listing

1. Rewrite
2. Sunday
3. Breathe Me
4. The Bully
5. Sweet Potato
6. Don't Bring Me Down
7. Natale's Song
8. Butterflies
9. Moon
10. The Church Of What's Happening Now
11. Numb
12. Where I Belong

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4701 in Music
• Released on: 2004-01-19
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Listening to Colour the Small One seems almost rude, as though you've just crept into someone's bedroom unannounced and read their diary, or even eavesdropped into a private conversation. A lot of this is down to Sia's voice; a soft, intimate, languorous affair that has the unsettling effect of being simultaneously sad and seductive. A couple of years on from her R&B-tinged debut and those classic pairings with Zero 7, the Australian vocalist has come a long way. The music here consists of basic frameworks of rhythm, enhanced by subtle percussion, folky harmonica and nothing more obtrusive than that secretive, melancholic voice. There's certainly room to breathe and Sia unfolds at her own leisurely pace. Opener "Rewrite" works the sad verse/sunny chorus formula to perfection, while "Sunday" turns "Strawberry Fields" harmonium into big orchestral trip-hop. "Sweet Potato" sours the flow, sounding contrived and too like Nelly Furtado for its own good, but "Bully", a collaboration with Beck Hansen, has a sweet melody that belies its subject matter. As cries for help go, this is up there with the best. --Paul Tierney

CD Description
On her first internationally released album, COLOUR THE SMALL ONE, Australian singer Sia Furler presents a graceful andassured set that is rooted in chilled-out electronica. Thismay come as no surprise to fans of Sia's work with Zero 7, though instead of attempting to re-create that group's lounge/jazz sound, she opts for a gentle, folk-tinged vibe, even enlisting Beck for a writing assist on "The Bully", a breezy, though slightly ominous, track.
The real standout of COLOUR, however, is "Breathe Me", a gorgeously spare, soulful tune that was prominently featured in the final season of the lauded TV series SIX FEET UNDER. Exuding an invitingly dreamy atmosphere, Sia's record is sure to garner a coveted spot in caf rotation alongside Beth Orton, Bjork, and other like-minded artists. (Note: The U.S. version includes four bonus tracks, including remixes of "Breathe Me" by Four Tet and Ulrich Schnauss.)

Customer Reviews

Excellent for the most part
Like many reviewers, I came to Sia's music having first listened to Zero7. Here, however, Sia does her own thing and anyone expecting more Zero7-esque tracks could be disappointed.

The album is obviously a very personal work for Sia - reflected in the subject matter of 'The Bully' for example - in her own words: "I just wanted to write an album that was me: a small, weird, needy freak. It's a slow burner, but it's honest."

Highlights for me are the simple but addictive 'Sunday', 'Moon', 'The Church Of What's Happening Now' and the up-tempo, dancey number, 'Where I Belong'.

I have to to confess, though, that a couple of tracks just don't do it for me: 'Sweet Potato' and 'Butterflies' are too twee and I can forward-skip past these and not feel I've missed anything important.

In all, an album worth having.

Amazing
This is another brilliant album from Sia. She may be best known for 'Breathe Me', which I love with a passion, but this album delivers so much more. It is perfect dinner party background music, but need not be relegated to that alone. I find it great to kick back at night and put this (or her live album 'Lady Croissant' which is also fantastic) on and relax to her smooth, beautiful voice and let my cares slip away. If you know her from Zero 7, or even just from 'Breathe Me', this album is well worth a try, you will not be disappointed.

Oh, my goodness me!!
Having purchased Sia's debut a couple of years ago and, although being responsible for the classics 'Fear' and 'Little Man' amongst others, I couldn't help feeling that Sia was juggling with the wrong balls. Therefore, I was slightly reluctant to buy this album. More's the pity!
I was fortunate to catch Sia at the Big Chill 2004 and, leading all my friends down there to watch as many hadn't a clue who she was, we all agreed that mesmerising just wasn't the word. Staying wholey folky with a live band gave Sia the scope to proudly exhibit her amazing vocal talent. We all swayed, cried, cheered and laughed as the little lady with the big voice won us over one by one.
So, once we arrived home, the Sia album was first on all our shopping list. Now, having literally just recieved it through Amazon, what can I say? I sat and listened to it from start to finish, a rare feat with an attention span like mine, and all those similar emotions came flooding back. Sia's simple, almost childlike vocals are, at times so fuelled with emotion that they become a melodic moan as opposed to actual lyrics, almost as if the words don't matter against such powerful musical influence, most apparent on the breathtaking "Don't Bring Me Down". The chirpy, almost Sixties esque "Sunday" and "Natale's Song" make for either pleasant summer afternoons next to a river or chilling in a smoke filled room with dim light. As for the albums highlight, latest single "Breathe Me" with its forlorn piano, reminds me of a more heartbreaking version of a Coldplay song with Sia cooly and sweetly singing over sweeping orchestral beats. So moving it brought a tear to the eye.
I implore you, if you like your folk a little more substantial and your melodies simple but effective, you will love this album and cherish it like a new born child.
If you're still unsure, check her out live beforehand.
Either way, don't be fooled, Sia doesn't just stop at Zero 7.