Kala

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
The desire to seek culture and tradition from outside one’s own backyard to influence your art and music is nothing new--from The Beatles through Marc Bolan, Paul Simon and up to Damon Albarn with his Mali Music, evidence is rife even in the mainstream. The only problem for M.I.A (aka London born Maya Arulpragasam) is that her backyard was flung far and wide in the first instance, growing up as she did in the UK, India and Sri Lanka--which may go some way to explaining the bewildering, fragrant, intoxicating mesh of sounds, rhythms and head-on sonic clashes that surge willfully throughout her second album, iKala/i--the result of her own personal voyage of artistic discovery. She’s absorbed, in addition to her own eclectic electro beginnings, aboriginal hip-hop, Jamaican dancehall, Liberian and Trinidadian influences, also finding the time to work with Timbaland (not nearly, incidentally, the highlight of the record). On "Mango Pickle Down River" she sounds like Missy Elliot shuffling in a didgeridoo with a rapping children’s choir she picked up somewhere en route, while the fittingly titled "World Town" is grime arriving on an asteroid during a tribal ceremony with sound effects ranging from a cocked gun to apparent digitized bagpipes. Considering how out-of-this-world-original M.I.A’s Mercury-nominated debut iArular/i was it is a rare delight that she’s progressed with such resolute surefootedness, losing none of her intrigue. You’ve got a lot of miles to cover to catch her up, let’s put it that way. --iJames Berry/i

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-05-19 rating:
JUST BUY IT!
I ummed and ahhed about buying this cd for months and I have to say now that I own it I can't listen to it often enough. Don't do what I did and waste valuable listening time reading any more reviews. Just buy it! You WILL LOVE it!

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review by: bluelephant date: 2009-05-15 rating:
Fish
This album is a cross between the Ting Tings and Bangla Beat but strangely it works well and produces a unique sound. Two of the tracks are fantastic and the rest are all highly worthy of a listen or two.

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review by: date: 2009-04-09 rating:
M.I.A. Comin' Back with Powa Powa!
I'll be completely honest. I feel ashamed to admit that I had never heard of M.I.A. until I went to see Slumdog Millionaire at the cinema last month. I loved the soundtrack to the movie and went straight to HMV after I left the pictures to buy it. br / br /I'm a huge fan of The Clash, so when I heard the track "Paper Planes" which used the riff taken from "Straight to Hell", I fell in love with the track instantly. I think the thing that I loved most of all about "Paper Planes" was the lyrics!! "Sticks and Stones and Weed and Bongs!" and "Some, some, some a some I murder. Some, some some I let Go!" (hehehe!!!) br / br /Anyway, I got Kala last week, the 2 CD version and I just think that the whole album's absolutely class!! Bamboo Banga is a great track, just to kick things off! Mia's lyrics really crack me up. I love her accent as well. br / br /I won't bother putting a seperat review/rating up for each individual track on the album, but there aren't really any that I don't like! br /The thing about the album, collectively that impressed me most of all with the album is the way Mia manages to fuse together, many different styles in an elceltic frenzy which makes it sound so unique. I'm not even really a fan of hip-hop apart from old stuff like Grandmaster Flash The Furious Five, but when you hear tracks like Bamboo Banga, with the heavily layered percussion and use of obscure little samples, it fits toghter really well! br / br /Also, I love how the album was recorded at various studios across the world from locations as diverse as Trinidad, Africa and Asia and really makes the whole thing sound really multi-cultural. br / br /Well done M.I.A. br / br /This album is sublime. If you don't already own a copy of it, then buy it ASAP. You won't be disappointed!!

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review by: unreal1066 date: 2009-01-17 rating:
It's a Bamboo Banga
After 'Arular' being an unexpected album of my year when it was released, I wasn't sure I would enjoy her second album but after listening to the excellent single 'Paper Planes' many times I decided to take the plunge with 'Kala' and prepared to be disapointed.....and I wasn't. br / br /'Kala' is just as good as Arular and an excellent buy. I bought the expanded edition with the extra disc and it is full of more innovative tracks. The best being 'Shells' and a great remix of 'Paper Planes'. br / br /After I've listened to this album 3 or 4 times i think i should listen to something else, but either I don't have anything in my collection like it or, it is a unique music with nothing quite like it.


review by: Patroller date: 2009-01-05 rating:
A MASTERPIECE
It's not often that i can embrace an album of such diversity as this so whole-heartedly as i have come to do with this,M.I.A's second album,Kala. br /I did enjoy her first album,Arular,but felt it sounded a little forced and slightly over-worked (i do still enjoy most of the tracks on it though and would rate that as a four star album). br /'Kala' however is a real step up to a completely different level of quality,not better,just more precise,fresher and less laboured,like the whole thing came together as a singular,solid and perfect explosion which was recorded within a week of it's mental conception. br /It's a furious and volatile album,thumping beats and crackling distortion with chanting,surreal vocals and a smart,savvy and sparkling production.Intelligent lyrics are well placed in the mix and used to full effect and it makes you want to figure it out more giving the album longevity,i mean,let's face it,she never wanted to be a member of Girl's Aloud,and the lack of bubblegum 'fluff' here is apparent,hence why i feel she included 'Jimmy' as a little respite. br /Listen to the intro of 'World Town' and how the programmed beats are so thick and heavy that they punctuate the rest of the music,stopping it,distorting it for a brief second...if this was intentional (and i'm guessing,rather hoping,it was/is),then what a sheer touch of genius...and this album is jam packed with moments like that!! br /This style of music may not be your 'bag' but believe me,it isn't,or rather wasn't,mine either....i just know quality when i hear it,and these days,with 'da bling merchants',x-factor and puppets like girl/boy bands....it's time we doffed our caps to the talent that does abound out there,if you only look a little deeper (and had a little more self-respect than to follow the sheep!!!) br /Excellent,excellent stuff....

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