Singer-songwriter Sia released her sixth studio album in July of 2014. It is her first album to reach number one on the charts in the U.S. So clearly plenty of people like the album, but I don’t feel that way.

The opening track and hit single is “Chandelier.” It appears to be a song about breaking free from problems and worries, but the writing and performance feel so obviously filtered and constructed to sound like that sort of song that it ends up being restrictive of itself. She had a similar problem with the David Guetta collaboration “Titanium,” which she wrote. In reality, it’s a drinking song. You would think Sia, who has had experience with alcoholism, would be able to be a bit more personal and interesting than saying “one, two, three, one, two, three, drink,” “Throw ’em back ’til I lose count,” and “keep my glass full until morning light.”

“Hostage” would be one of the highlights of the album if they hadn’t forced Sia to sing when she’d just had her tonsils taken out. This is a common problem throughout the album. My biggest issue with Sia is her voice. She might think she has one of those big, belting voices, but she clearly doesn’t so she ends up sounding like a pretentious pre-teen with a head cold. But like I said, “Hostage” had potential. Her voice is only offensively annoying for a short part of the song, though that part is basically the entire chorus, and the actual music is pretty good. Maybe it’s just one of those songs that was meant to be performed by someone else. Considering the fact that Sia often writes songs for other artists, this could have been a possibility. I guess she couldn’t part with it.

There is another song called “Elastic Heart,” which garnered attention for its music video featuring a scantily clad Shia LaBeouf dancing with the young Maddie Ziegler.  “Well, I’ve got thick skin and an elastic heart, but your blade it might be too sharp. I’m like a rubber band until you pull too hard. I may snap and I move fast, but you won’t see me fall apart ’cause I’ve got an elastic heart.” This probably doesn’t sound too dramatic, but Sia’s delivery makes it a much bigger deal. The way she performs makes it sound like she thinks everything she sings is the most important thing ever said by anyone ever. The song also contains the second worst Queen reference (“another one bites the dust” is repeated several times) I’ve seen in a pop song. The worst would be Eminem using his widely hated Pee Wee Herman voice to add a lyric from “Bicycle Race” to Skylar Grey’s “Come On Let Me Ride.”

I hate “Free the Animal.” It has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Her vocals are somehow worse and the rhythm is bland. Her lyrics usually have at least one good line, but I can not handle any of them. This is also the worst case of another problem that can be found in just about every song. Sia, just because you’re screaming about something doesn’t mean I care about it. Nobody should free the animal. If anything, put duct tape over her mouth.

1000 Forms of Fear is the kind of music that is really easy to ignore. That is until you get to the last two minutes or so of the closing track “Dressed in Black,” which repeats a vocalized “hey” until you realize how annoyed you are and have to turn it off.

The album does have one good quality. It’s catchy. The composition is pretty solid. And when Sia isn’t trying too hard her vocals aren’t really that bad. There are some aspects of the album I really love, and others I can’t stand. This makes it a bit tough to give the album a rating. I think I want to like her more than I can actually like her. I think I’ll give this 3/10 wigs.

But if you’d like to listen for yourself:

http://www.amazon.com/1000-Forms-Fear-Sia/dp/B00KCUY7CU

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/1000-forms-of-fear/id882945378