Colour the Small One

Last updated

Colour the Small One
Colour the Small One.jpg
Studio album by
Sia
Released19 January 2004 (2004-01-19)
Recorded2003–2004
StudioHeliocentric Studios
(Rye, England)
Genre
Length48:18
Label
Producer Jimmy Hogarth
Sia chronology
Healing Is Difficult
(2001)		Colour the Small One
(2004)		 Lady Croissant
(2007)
Singles from Colour the Small One
  1. "Don't Bring Me Down"
    Released: November 2003
  2. "Breathe Me"
    Released: 19 April 2004
  3. "Where I Belong"
    Released: 9 August 2004
  4. "Numb"
    Released: 18 April 2005
  5. "Sunday"
    Released: 13 February 2006

Colour the Small One is the third album by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, which was released in Australia and the United Kingdom on 19 January 2004. It was issued in the United States on 3 February 2004. Production was by Jimmy Hogarth, who also co-wrote three tracks and provided various instruments. It was re-released 10 January 2006 in the US, after the track "Breathe Me" became popular on alternative radio, following its feature as the closing song in the series finale of the HBO drama Six Feet Under (aired August 2005). The album peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums Chart. "Breathe Me" was also featured in the television series, Bionic Woman .

Contents

Background and recording

In 2000, Sia was based in the United Kingdom from recording her previous solo album Healing Is Difficult , which would be released in 2001. However, she was unhappy with the promotion of the album. Sia fired her manager, left Sony Music and signed with Go! Beat Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. [4] [5] [6] The album was recorded in 2003 at Heliocentric Studios in Rye with Jimmy Hogarth producing. [7] [8] Sia credits the biggest influence on her new album as touring with Zero 7. [9]

All tracks are co-written by Sia, five of the original eleven tracks are co-written with bass guitarist, Samuel Dixon. [10] [11] Hogarth also co-wrote three tracks with Furler and provided various instruments. [10] The track "The Bully" is co-written by Furler with United States musician, Beck. [4] Two other songs from the Colour the Small One sessions were co-written with Beck but were not used. "Natale's Song" has backing vocals from UK singer Sophie Barker who had previously worked with Sia on the Zero 7 single, "Destiny" (August 2001). [5] [12] Another UK singer, Yvonne John Lewis, features on "The Church of What's Happening Now" as backing vocalist. [12]

Release and promotion

Sia at The Parish in Austin, 2006 Sia at The Parish (Austin, 2006) (cropped).jpg
Sia at The Parish in Austin, 2006

The initial Australian version of Colour the Small One had eleven tracks, [7] with "Butterflies" added for later versions. The track "Don't Bring Me Down" was issued as the lead single in Australia in late 2003. [13] It was repackaged as a four-track extended play, Don't Bring Me Down, for UK release. When it was released in 2004, "Breathe Me", was the first single across most markets outside Australasia, whereas "Don't Bring Me Down" was second. "Breathe Me" reached No. 71 on the UK Singles Chart in May 2004, whilst the third single, "Where I Belong", reached the top 100 however the fourth single, "Numb", did not appear in the chart. [14] Colour the Small One reached the top 200 on the UK Albums Chart. [14] In promotion of the album, Go! Beat Records provided a "making-of" video. Music videos were shot for two tracks, "Breathe Me" and "Sunday", while an animation was made for "Numb". A music video was later shot for "Don't Bring Me Down" but featured the live version which appeared, in April 2007, on the live album, Lady Croissant .

After "Breathe Me" was used in the TV series finale of Six Feet Under (aired August 2005), [15] the album was re-released on 10 January 2006 in the US, in an expanded version with 16 tracks. [16] The album peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums Chart. [17] "Breathe Me" gained popularity on alternative rock and alternative adult radio stations. In 2007, "Breathe Me" was used in television commercials for Cooper University Hospital of Camden, New Jersey, USA. In April 2008, "Breathe Me" was featured on the German soap opera, Verbotene Liebe when gay supercouple Christian Mann and Oliver Sabel embraced as lovers for the first time on German television. Also, in October 2008, whilst at the Tokyo Game Show Ubisoft revealed a trailer for their upcoming video-game Prince of Persia which used the track "Breathe Me". Many of the commercials on NBC for the 2008 Summer Olympics featured clips of "Breathe Me" and the song was also used for Coca-Cola commercials during the 2010 Winter Olympics. "Breathe Me" is also appeared in the NBC television series, Bionic Woman . "Numb" was featured on an episode of Nip/Tuck (Season 3, Episode #33 "Rhea Reynolds"), played at the close of the episode. It is also regularly used in the UK TV series Holby City and has been played in the UK soap opera, Hollyoaks several times. It has also been used in an episode of The Hills .

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 77/100 [18]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [19]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [20]
Pitchfork 7.3/10 [4]
PopMatters 9/10 [21]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [22]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [23]

Colour the Small One received generally favourable reviews according to Metacritic website's rating of 77 out of 100 based on 15 professional critics. [18] Allmusic's Jon O'Brien noted that Furler's "hushed, intimate vocals are surrounded by acoustic folk-tinged electronica". [24] Pitchfork's Chris Ott found the album's "downtempo kaleidoscope of pain and progress is unable to hold on to all that it reaches for, but delivers moments of brilliance and daring". [4] Carmine Pascuzzi of Mediasearch described Furler providing a "spark to the acoustic/chilled tastings of today" with a "more experimental" album than Healing Is Difficult. [13]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Sia Furler

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Rewrite" Samuel Dixon, Furler4:45
2."Sunday"Dixon, Furler4:17
3."Breathe Me" Dan Carey, Furler4:34
4."The Bully" Beck (aka B Hansen), Furler, Jimmy Hogarth 3:51
5."Sweet Potato"Kevin Cormack, Furler, Hogarth4:00
6."Don't Bring Me Down"Furler, Blair MacKichan 4:25
7."Natale's Song"Dixon, Furler2:32
8."Butterflies" (International version only)Cormack, Furler, Hogarth3:26
9."Moon"Dixon, Furler, Hogarth5:02
10."The Church of What's Happening Now"Dixon, Furler4:27
11."Numb"Furler, Felix Howard, James McMillan4:40
12."Where I Belong"Dixon, Furler4:45
Total length:48:18
US edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Broken Biscuit"Chad Fischer, Furler4:55
14."Sea Shells"Furler, Larry Goldings 4:51
15."Breathe Me" (Four Tet Remix)Carey, Furler5:03
16."Breathe Me" (Ulrich Schnauss Remix)Carey, Furler4:53
Total length:1:08:00
Digital deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Broken Biscuit"Chad Fischer, Furler4:55
14."Lucky" 3:13
15."So Bored" 3:09
16."Breathe Me" (Four Tet Remix)Carey, Furler5:01
17."Where I Belong" (Hot Chip Remix)Dixon, Furler5:03
18."Numb" (Tom Middleton Cosmos Mix)Furler, Howard, McMillan8:16
19."Breathe Me" (Mr Dan Remix)Carey, Furler4:38
Total length:1:25:00

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (2006)Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC) [25] 180
US Top Heatseekers ( Billboard ) [17] 14

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sia</span> Australian singer and songwriter (born 1975)

Sia Kate Isobelle Furler is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. When Crisp disbanded in 1997, she released her debut studio album, OnlySee, in Australia. She moved to London and provided vocals for the British duo Zero 7. Sia released her second studio album, Healing Is Difficult, in 2001, and her third, Colour the Small One, in 2004.

The Orange Humble Band is an alternative rock band formed in early 1995, by Darryl Mather on guitar. He was joined by Anthony Bautovich, Mitch Easter on vocals, and Ken Stringfellow on lead vocals. The group issued two albums, Assorted Creams (1997) and Humblin' (2001) before disbanding later that year. They reformed in March 2012 and issued a third album, Depressing Beauty, in May 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicky Bomba</span> Australian musician (born 1963)

Nicholas Caruana, also known as Nicky Bomba, is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He is the leader of the ARIA Award-winning Melbourne Ska Orchestra, frontman of his band, Bomba, as well as the former drummer and percussionist of John Butler Trio. He has performed in other acts and as a solo artist. His youngest sister, Danielle Caruana,, is married to his former bandmate, John Butler. His older brother, Michael Caruana, is a member of Bomba and of Mama Kin's backing band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Excited (Little Birdy song)</span> 2005 single by Little Birdy

"Excited" is the third single from Australian indie rock band Little Birdy's debut album, BigBigLove, released on 18 April 2005. It was produced by Paul McKercher at Big Jesus Burger Studios, and mixed at Studios 301.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Steele (musician)</span> Australian singer-songwriter (born 1979)

Luke James Steele is an Australian musician, singer and songwriter. Steele is the vocalist and primary songwriter of the alternative rock band the Sleepy Jackson and is a member of the electronic music duo Empire of the Sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Britt</span> Australian country music artist

Catherine Elisabeth Britt is an Australian country music artist who has had success in both her native Australia and in the United States. She started her career in Newcastle in 1999, she moved to Nashville from 2002 to 2008 and then returned to Australia. Britt has had three singles in top 40 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts with "The Upside of Being Down", her highest, peaking at No. 36 in 2004. Britt has released seven studio albums in Australia, where all seven have appeared on the ARIA Albums Chart, Too Far Gone, Little Wildflower, Catherine Britt and Always Never Enough. All five albums have been nominated for ARIA Music Awards in the category, Best Country Album.

<i>Lady Croissant</i> 2007 live album by Sia

Lady Croissant is a live album by Australian singer Sia, released in April 2007 through the record label Astralwerks. Called a "mini-album" by Astralwerks, the collection contains one studio recording ("Pictures") as well as eight live tracks recorded during an April 2006 concert at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City. Eight songs were written or co-written by Sia; also featured is a cover version of Ray Davies' song "I Go to Sleep", a studio recording of which later appeared on Sia's studio album Some People Have Real Problems (2008). The album was produced by Dan Carey, mixed by Jon Lemon and Taz Mattar at Sarm Studios in London, and mastered by Emily Lazar and Sarah Register at The Lodge in New York City. Lady Croissant received a mixed critical reception and spawned one single, "Pictures", which was released exclusively via American Eagle Outfitters on 27 November 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bleed You Dry</span> 2005 song performed by Grinspoon

"Bleed You Dry" is the fourth single by Australian rock band Grinspoon from their fourth studio album Thrills, Kills & Sunday Pills. It was released on 13 June 2005 via Universal Records, which peaked in the top 100 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The music video for "Bleed You Dry" was directed by James Hackett and Jean Camden and was a finalist in the 2005 SoundKILDA music video competition as part of the St Kilda Film Festival.

Small Mercies were an Australian alternative rock band from Brisbane, Queensland. They formed in 1997. They used the names, Seventh Avenue and Blaik, before adopting Small Mercies in 2004. Their final line-up was Steve Blaik on lead vocals and guitar, Marty O'Brien on drums, Danny Procopis on lead guitar, and Jeff Reeves on bass guitar. Small Mercies released two EPs, Is This Life? (2003) and Off the Record (2004), and one studio album, Beautiful Hum. Their highest charting release, "Innocent", reached the ARIA Singles Chart Top 40 and was nominated at the ARIA Music Awards of 2007 for Breakthrough Artist – Single. By December 2010, the group had disbanded.

<i>Some People Have Real Problems</i> 2008 studio album by Sia

Some People Have Real Problems is the fourth studio album by Australian singer Sia. Released in 2008, the album featured singles including "Day Too Soon", "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" and "Soon We'll Be Found". In live performances of the latter song, Sia used sign language to accompany her singing. The album displays a more upbeat pop-style than Sia's previous downbeat albums, whilst show-casing Sia's vocals on a number of big ballads. Non-single track, "Buttons", received attention due to its video in which Sia's face is distorted by pegs, string, net, condoms and many other things. The album debuted at number 26 on the US Billboard 200 chart which became Sia's first album to chart on the Billboard 200 in her career.

Sandrine Jennifer Daniels, who performs as Sandrine, is an Australian indie pop singer-songwriter and musician. She has released three albums, Trigger, Dark Fades into the Light (2008) and Circles (2010). Her debut single, "Trigger" reached No. 28 on the ARIA Singles Chart.

Basement Birds were an Australian indie pop rock group which formed in mid-2009 and comprised four singer-songwriters, Kevin Mitchell, Steve Parkin, Josh Pyke and Kavyen Temperley. The members' mutual love of lush vocal harmonies and alt-country style was the basis for forming the project. Mitchell, Parkin and Temperley had each developed their careers in Perth.

Samuel Dixon is a record producer, songwriter and musician, based in London. Dixon has produced and written with artists including Adele, Sia, Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera, Paloma Faith and Jack Savoretti. He is a multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as a bass guitarist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breathe Me</span> 2004 song by Sia

"Breathe Me" is a 2004 single by Australian singer Sia featured on the album Colour the Small One. The single has sold over 1.2 million copies in the United States. The song became popular on alternative radio and has been used in many different forms of media, most notably in the series finale of Six Feet Under in 2005.

<i>Best Of...</i> (Sia album) 2012 greatest hits album by Sia

Best Of..., also referred to as Sia: Best Of..., is the first greatest hits album by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, released in Australia on 30 March 2012 through the Sydney-based independent record label Inertia. The compilation includes tracks from four of her previous studio albums: Healing Is Difficult (2001), Colour the Small One (2004), Some People Have Real Problems, (2008) and We Are Born (2010). Also included are two tracks featuring Sia as a vocalist, "My Love" from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse film soundtrack, plus a remixed version of "Buttons" by Brazilian rock band CSS.

Andrew MacLeish Durant was an Australian musician-songwriter. He was a member of country rock group Stars (1976–79) providing guitar, harmonica, and backing vocals. He was also a session and backing musician for a range of artists. He died of cancer, aged 25. On 19 August 1980 a tribute performance was held in his honour, with a live double-album recorded by various artists, Andrew Durant Memorial Concert, which was released on 9 March 1981. All but three tracks were written by Durant. It peaked at No. 8 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and reached No. 40 on the End of Year Top 100 Albums Chart for 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Bring Me Down (Sia song)</span> 2003 single by Sia

"Don't Bring Me Down" is a 2003 song by Australian singer Sia. It was released in Australia in November 2003 as the first single from her third studio album Colour the Small One (2004). The track was written by Sia and Blair MacKichan who had recently worked with Will Young's on his Brit Award winning song, "Your Game". The track received little promotion and did not chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Where I Belong (Sia song)</span> 2004 single by Sia

"Where I Belong" is a song by Australian singer Sia. It was released as the third single from her 2004 album, Colour the Small One in August 2004.

Mink were an American pop rock band formed in early 2006. They were led by American-born Neal Carlson on lead vocals with four Australian musicians Grant Fitzpatrick on bass guitar, David Lowy on rhythm guitar, Nick Maybury on lead guitar and Stella Mozgawa on drums. They issued their self-titled debut album in August 2007. They toured both Australia and America. In 2008 Lowy had left and the group disbanded in 2009.

References

  1. ↑ Jon O'Brien. Colour the Small One at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  2. ↑ Keefe, Jonathan (15 June 2010). "Review: Sia, We Are Born". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  3. ↑ Caroline Sullivan (2 January 2004). "Sia, Colour the Small One". The Guardian . Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Ott, Chris (2 March 2004). "Sia – Colour the Small One". Pitchfork Media . Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  5. 1 2 Verrico, Lisa (30 December 2007). "A Woman on the Verge". The Sunday Times . News International (News Corporation). Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  6. ↑ Kolar, Drew (30 June 2007). "Sia's Pop Album". Music & Literature. AllMediaNY. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  7. 1 2 Furler, Sia (2004), Colour the Small One, Systematic Limited t/a Go! Beat! , retrieved 14 July 2013
  8. ↑ "Pop Work of the Year". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  9. ↑ "SIA - Where I Belong". contactmusic.com. August 2004. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  10. 1 2 "'Rewrite' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 12 July 2013. Note: User may have to click on 'Search again' and at 'Performer:' add Sia or Sia Furler to search for other titles.
  11. ↑ au.news.yahoo.com Archived 28 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine , collaboration with Samuel Dixon.
  12. 1 2 Discogs.com, Sophie Barker and Yvonne John Lewis collaborations.
  13. 1 2 Pascuzzi, Carmine. "Sia – Colour the Small One". Mediasearch (Carmine Pascuzzi, Andrew Donald ). Archived from the original on 3 March 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  14. 1 2 Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: DJ S. – The System of Life". Zobbel.de (Tobias Zywietz). Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  15. ↑ Alan Ball (writer & director) (21 August 2005). "Everyone's Waiting". Six Feet Under. Season 5. Episode 12. HBO.
  16. ↑ Colour the Small One (Media notes). Sia. United States: Astralwerks. 2004. ASW 48103.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. 1 2 "Sia – Chart history: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard . Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  18. 1 2 "Colour the Small One". Metacritic. 10 January 2006. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  19. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (2 January 2004). "CD: Colour the Small One". The Guardian . Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  20. ↑ Murt, Daniel (1 February 2004). "Sia: Colour the Small One | OMM". The Observer . Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  21. ↑ Schiller, Mike (29 January 2006). "Sia: Colour the Small One". PopMatters.
  22. ↑ Walters, Barry (12 January 2006). "Sia: Colour the Small One : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 5 May 2009.
  23. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (27 December 2005). "Colour the Small One | Album Review". Slant Magazine . Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  24. ↑ O'Brien, Jon. "Colour the Small One – Sia". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  25. ↑ "Chart Log UK: DJ S - The System Of Life". www.zobbel.de. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.