Sia releases soundtrack from her feature film Music
- by Joe Sharratt
- in Reviews
Musicians making the transition to the big screen has always been a tricky path to walk. For every Lady Gaga dazzling in A Star Is Born, there’s a Vanilla Ice doing… well, whatever it was that he did in Cool As Ice (which if you haven’t seen, you’re in for a treat).
Such mixed results haven’t deterred Australian singer and songwriter Sia though, who, perhaps feeling unable to compete with Ice’s skills on the screen, has opted for a spot behind the camera instead, writing and directing the feature film Music, which was released earlier this year.
Starring Kate Hudson, Maddie Ziegler, and Leslie Odom Jr., Music tells the story of Zu, who is newly sober when she receives news that she is to become the sole guardian of her half-sister named Music, a young girl on the autism spectrum.
Unfortunately for Sia, the film encountered all sorts of negative press before it was even released, from the decision to cast non-autistic actor Ziegler as autistic, to the use of scenes featuring restraints being used on autistic people, both of which saw Sia issue a public apology. The film itself has now been released to negative reviews (at the time of writing, it scored 3.1/10 on IMDB and 12% on Rotten Tomatoes).
The film’s soundtrack however, released this week, is a more positive experience, full of the sort of polished pop tracks that have made Sia so successful. Floating Through Space sees her reunite with David Guetta for a suitably shimmery, electro pop affair, while Courage To Change builds from some moody strings in the intro into a soaring, thumping anthem. Hey Boy, meanwhile, has a hit single feel to it.
Your experience of Music (Songs From And Inspired By The Motion Picture) is probably related to whether or not you’ve seen the corresponding film. If not, and you’re able to just listen to it as a standalone collection, it’s still a really enjoyable journey.
Music (Songs From And Inspired By The Motion Picture) tracklist:
- Together
- Hey Boy
- Saved My Life
- Floating Through Space
- Eye To Eye
- Music
- 1+1
- Courage To Change
- Play Dumb
- Beautiful Things Can Happen
- Lie To Me
