Sia’s voice is a powerful force, capable of shifting between sorrow and euphoria within the same breath. Since her 2014 breakthrough album 1000 Forms of Fear, the Australian singer’s career has included high-profile electropop collaborations with artists like Diplo, Zayn, Flo Rida, and Sean Paul, as well as her own deeply personal projects. Over the last decade, her music has evolved from the intimate indie pop of her earlier work to producing polished mainstream hits that have seen both success and some forgettable moments. Her 10th studio album, Reasonable Woman, continues this pattern of inconsistency. With sleek synth arrangements and exaggerated beat drops, Sia delivers self-help anthems that adhere to formulaic and outdated sounds. The result is feel-good music that offers little genuine feeling.
Reasonable Woman follows 2021’s Music, the soundtrack to her critically and commercially unsuccessful directorial debut. Given the failure of Music, one might think Sia has something to prove, but Reasonable Woman falls short of recapturing the energy and distinctive lyrics that characterize her best work. Even the unassuming title suggests lowered expectations. In the motivational opener “Little Wing,” Sia pairs her grand vocals with simple lyrics: “My little wing/I know you can’t stop crying/But tears dry up when you’re flying,” she sings, sounding as though she’s scoring another forgettable film. However, in the more poignant ballad “I Had a Heart,” co-written with Rosalía, Sia taps into a deeper emotional vein. As she sings about forgiveness after a breakup, her raw, unpolished performance shines through, finding a more authentic, if somewhat saccharine, emotional core.
The album’s standout track, the minimalist piano ballad “I Forgive You,” closely resembles the style of a stripped-down version of a Sia-penned hit like Rihanna’s “Diamonds.” It powerfully highlights Sia’s ability to transition from her smoky midrange to a soaring upper register, capturing a blend of melancholy, resilience, and a sense of triumphant renewal. The song serves as a reminder that even as musical trends change and her tracks may no longer dominate the streaming charts, Sia’s strength remains unshakable, as solid as titanium.
