Best Of... (Sia album)

Best Of..., also referred to as Sia: Best Of...,[1] 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.[2] 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 ("Destiny" by Zero 7 and "Titanium" by David Guetta), "My Love" from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse film soundtrack, plus a remixed version of "Buttons" by Brazilian rock band CSS.

Best Of...
Greatest hits album by
Sia
Released30 March 2012 (Australia)
Recorded1997–2012
GenrePop
Length71:03
LabelInertia
Sia chronology
We Are Born
(2010)		 Best Of...
(2012)		 1000 Forms of Fear
(2014)

The album was announced in February 2012, shortly after Sia claimed she would be retiring. Some online music stores offered Sia's music DVD TV Is My Parent as a bonus.[3] Overall, critical reception of the album was positive, though many reviewers criticized select tracks. Best Of... debuted at number 30 on the ARIA Albums Chart the week of 15 April and reached a peak position of number 27 the following week.

Background and promotion

The album was announced in February 2012, shortly after Sia made a statement claiming she was retiring.[4][5][6] Best Of... received promotion in various forms. IE Music/Inertia released a promotional video on YouTube in March 2012.[7] One day prior to the album's release, Oyster magazine commemorated Sia's career by publishing their list of her top five collaborations.[8] The compilation album and a Sia tote bag, among other prizes, were included in a competition held by Cosmopolitan magazine.[9][10] In April 2012, Music Australia Guide (Mag) offered copies of the album to readers as part of a "freebie" giveaway.[11]

Content
Sia Furler performing in 2008

Best Of... contains eighteen tracks spanning fifteen years of music from Sia's career, including collaborative work with Zero 7 and other artists.[12] Fourteen tracks come from four of Sia's previous studio albums. "Taken for Granted", representing the oldest material on the compilation, is the only song from Sia's 2002 album Healing Is Difficult.[13][14] "Numb", "Where I Belong", "Breathe Me" and, "Sweet Potato" all appeared on Sia's 2004 album Colour the Small One.[15] Tracks from her 2008 album Some People Have Real Problems include: "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine",[16] "Day Too Soon", Ray Davies' "I Go to Sleep", "Soon We'll Be Found", and "Buttons".[17] "Clap Your Hands", "Bring Night", "You've Changed", and "The Fight" originally appeared on Sia's previous studio album We Are Born (2010).[16][18]

The remaining four tracks represent collaborative works, one soundtrack appearance and a remix. "Destiny" first appeared on the British duo Zero 7's album Simple Things (2001); the track features vocal performances by Sia and Sophie Barker.[16][19] "My Love" appeared on The Twilight Saga: Eclipse film soundtrack (2010).[20][21] "Titanium", written by Sia, David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, and Nick van de Wall, first appeared on Guetta's 2011 album Nothing but the Beat.[22]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The AU Review(8.2/10)[23]
News Limited[24]
Out in Perth(positive)[25]
Rabbit Hole Urban Music[26]
Rave[14]
Rip It Up[27]

Critical reception of the compilation album was positive overall; many reviewers appreciated the album in its entirety but criticized select tracks. The AU Review's Robert Lyon awarded the album a score of 8.2 on a 10-point scale.[23] Lyon thought "Clap Your Hands" began the album "brilliantly" and complimented additional individual tracks, but noted the compilation offered no previously unreleased material and that the bonus DVD was only available through select retailers.[23] Mikey Cahill of News Limited awarded the album four points on a five-point scale. He wrote listeners have the ability to "visualise Sia's animated exterior singing each note loud and proud" and summarized the album in one word: "respectable".[24] Freya Davies of ArtsHub suggested "Bring Night" would have been a better opening track. Davies criticized select tracks, such as "Destiny" and "Day Too Soon" due to Sia's "inarticulate" singing, but also complimented faster tempo songs which highlighted her "vocal strength" ("Titanium" and "Buttons").[16] Davies concluded: "Sia's ability to combine cult and popular appeal is successfully demonstrated by the strength of this compilation album. Its weaknesses are momentary; overall, it is a fun salute to the past 15 years and a respectable look to the future."[16]

Scott-Patrick Mitchell of Out in Perth, an LGBT publication based in Perth, Western Australia, appreciated an album of Sia highlights and wrote that "Bring Night", "Buttons" and "The Girl You Lost to Cocaine" "[sparkle] like supernovas".[25] Rabbit Hole Urban Music's Steve Smart awarded the compilation four out of five stars. Smart thought the album was long but inclusive of many genres; he called the production "super smooth... classy but not edgeless".[26] Rave Magazine's Alasdair Duncan also rated Best Of... four out of five stars and complimented Sia's body of work. Duncan thought the compilation had a "thrown-together quality" but called the music "top-notch".[14] Nina Bertok of Rip It Up, an Adelaide street press magazine, called the album a collection of "tear-jerking ballads... pop nuggets... dance bangers" and "quirkier numbers". Bertok recommended the CSS remix of "Buttons" and awarded the compilation three out of five stars.[27] One reviewer from the Sydney Star Observer wrote that "Breathe Me" stands as Sia's best song but thought her songs "Don't Bring Me Down" and "I'm in Here" should have been included on the album.[21]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Clap Your Hands"Sia Furler, Samuel Dixon3:58
2."The Girl You Lost to Cocaine"Furler, Rob Allum, Phil Marten, Eddie Myer2:40
3."Destiny" (Zero 7 featuring Sia)Furler, Sophie Barker, Henry Binns, Sam Hardaker3:47
4."Buttons"Furler, Freescha3:16
5."Day Too Soon"Furler, Dixon4:23
6."Numb"Furler, James McMillan4:40
7."Where I Belong"Furler, Dixon4:43
8."Breathe Me"Furler, Dan Carey4:34
9."Sweet Potato"Furler, Kevin Cormack, Jimmy Hogarth4:00
10."Bring Night"Furler, Greg Kurstin2:57
11."My Love"Furler, Oliver Kraus5:14
12."Titanium" (David Guetta featuring Sia)Furler, Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Nick van de Wall3:57
13."You've Changed"Furler, Lauren Flax3:11
14."I Go to Sleep"Ray Davies3:46
15."The Fight"Furler, Carey3:37
16."Soon We'll Be Found"Furler, Rick Nowels4:20
17."Taken for Granted"Furler, Corsbie, Sergei Prokofiev4:34
18."Buttons" (CSS Mix)Furler, Freescha3:26
Total length:71:03

Track listing adapted from AllMusic,[2] including entries for Healing Is Difficult,[13] Colour the Small One,[15] Some People Have Real Problems[17] and We Are Born.[18]

Charts

Best Of... debuted at number 30 on the ARIA Albums Chart the week of 15 April 2012.[28] The album reached a peak position of number 27 the following week before exiting the chart.[29]

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart 27
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See also

References
  1. Tati, Antonino (12 March 2012). "Say hi to Sia's first greatest hits set". Cream. Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales, Australia. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  2. "Best Of..." AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  3. "Best Of... (Bonus DVD) – Sia". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on 11 April 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  4. Ritchie, John (24 February 2012). "Sia Announces 'Best Of' Album After Quiting Last Week". Music Feeds. Sydney, Australia. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  5. Kim, Olivia (24 February 2012). "Sia releasing greatest hits album". The Music Network. Peer Group Media. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  6. Moran, Jonathon (26 February 2012). "Jonathon Moran explores the real Sia Kate Isobelle Furler". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney, Australia: News Limited. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  7. "Sia 'Best Of' (Out on IE Music/Inertia)". IE Music/Inertia. 18 March 2012. Archived from the original on 24 February 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  8. "Top 5: Sia Collaborations". Oyster. Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia. 29 March 2012. ISSN 1322-6495. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  9. "Win a Mojo 'Dutchie' Bike thanks to Sia". Cosmopolitan. May 2012. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  10. "Win: In celebration of Sia's new "Best Of" album, Cosmo has a huge competition!". Inertia. 17 May 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  11. Magee, Antonia (12 April 2012). "Giveaways!". Music Australia Guide. Slattery Media Group. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  12. Conroy, Laura (30 March 2012). "Sia Releases 'Best Of' Album". Luna. Adelaide, Australia: Arcadia Co. Pty. Ltd. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  13. O'Brien, Jon. "Healing Is Difficult". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  14. Duncan, Alasdair (9 April 2012). "Sia – Best Of". Rave Magazine. Brisbane, Australia. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  15. O'Brien, Jon. "Colour the Small One". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 December 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  16. Davies, Freya (10 April 2012). "Sia – Best Of..." ArtsHub. ArtsHub Holdings. Archived from the original on 22 April 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  17. Mason, Stewart. "Some People Have Real Problems". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  18. Hoffman, K. Ross. "We Are Born". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  19. DiGravina, Tim. "Simple Things". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  20. Phares, Heather. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  21. "The Best Of… Sia". Sydney Star Observer. 21 March 2012. ISSN 0819-5129. OCLC 26727666. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  22. Jeffries, David. "Nothing But the Beat". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  23. Lyon, Robert. "Album Review: Sia – Best Of (2012 LP)". Australia: Heath Media. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  24. Cahill, Mikey (29 March 2012). "Latest releases: dEUS, Orbital, Sia, Paul Weller". news.com.au. News Limited. Archived from the original on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  25. Mitchell, Scott-Patrick (8 May 2012). "Best of..." Out in Perth. Perth, Western Australia. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  26. Smart, Steve (2012). "Album Review: Sia – Best Of". Rabbit Hole Urban Music. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  27. "Reviews: Sia – Best Of". Rip It Up. Adelaide, Australia: Rip It Up Publishing. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  28. "Sia Soars at Home and Dominates US Club Chart". themusic.com.au. 9 April 2012. Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  29. "Sia – Best Of..." australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.

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