Street Party

Kala
M.I.A
XL, 2007
4.5 stars

The follow up to 2004's brilliant Arular, London-based Sri Lankan M.I.A's new album is the sound of the hustle and bustle of third-world city streets. Recorded during stints in India, Jamaica, Australia and Japan, Kala is a glorious mish-mash of all of these cultures and then some. Electrified Bollywood dance, outback Australian digeridoo hip-hop (people will recognise the boyish voices of the Wilcannia Mob) and Nigerian rap run into each other seamlessly, and digital effects, booming bass-heavy beats, analogue samples and field recordings grind against one another to great effect. The result is a thrilling politically-intelligent party album that transcends caste and language barriers, and one that will have under-fives and thirty-fives up off their chairs and dancing in the streets.

Artwork: A+

Published in mX, Thursday 23 August 2007.