“Kala” a second excellent effort by M.I.A. (originally published in Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal 08/2007)
BY SHEENA BARNETT
To say that M.I.A.’s second record, “Kala,” is just as good as her debut, “Arular,” is saying something.
Because “Arular” is an exquisite record, so to come back with something just as good is a testament to how incredibly talented M.I.A. is.
She’s made a career of mixing dance, electronica, world and hip-hop beats into bizarrely exhilarating tunes. Her music is literally mind-blowing: new listeners may have to put a few songs on repeat to fully comprehend what’s going on.
A prime example is the first single, “Boyz.” There’s so much happening, so many beats, so many competing vocals, that it’s almost a dizzying song. But M.I.A.’s chorus is loud and clear: “How many no money boys are crazy/How many boys are raw?/How many no money boys are rowdy/How many start a war?”
But not everything on “Kala” is so complicated.
“Jimmy” is a Bollywood disco song, and M.I.A. reworks it into perfection. It’s a swirling mass of beats, and M.I.A.’s breathy vocals recall “Heart of Glass”-ish Debbie Harry. It’s the best song on the album.
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