Sia provides a relaxing and powerful vocal in the title track to 2016's animated hit 'Finding Dory'
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Sia is known for her vocal range and stage act of hiding her face during performances, but her title track for Finding Dory, one of 2016’s hottest films, takes on a different style. A cover of Nat King Cole’s classic, ‘Unforgettable’ mixes Sia’s flawless vocal with a traditional 1960’s style to create something quite unique and relaxing.
Sia, quite different from her usual style, chooses to go behind a full orchestra, immediately drawing attention and setting you up to be hooked on her vocal, as well as being perfect for a big movie soundtrack. Starting off slower and more relaxed, it slowly builds to more dramatic sections that shows off the voice that made her famous through ‘Chandelier’. The inclusion of the orchestral section halfway through the song is also good as it almost removes you from your day-to-day business to take you to a whole new world (a world, I dare to jest, under the sea). Sia also manages to bring her unique vulnerability to the track in child-like and innocent way, which works perfectly as the song becomes the perfect vehicle on which to reminisce and reflect.
Some have criticised the song as being a little basic or unexciting as it does not show the vocal prowess of Sia’s other hits and latest album This Is Acting. This, however, misses the point of the song. It is supposed to be calming and to transport you to another place, therefore the harsh, challenging vocals of ‘Alive‘ and ‘Chandelier,’ which aim to get a dramatic aura that almost challenges the listener, simply wouldn’t have worked here. This song is certainly different for Sia, but that in no way makes it bad. In fact, it showcases just what a diverse artist she is, managing to set her style to a big orchestral number. I will admit, however, that there is almost a desire that she would have let her vocal go slightly higher at the end to provide an exciting and fulfilling end to the song, which otherwise ends a little anticlimactically.
Sia’s vocal mixed with the grand orchestra is a recipe for success. This new track, or at least everything minus the last thirty seconds, can be summed up in two words: simply unforgettable.
‘Unforgettable’ is out now via Walt Disney Records
