Album Review: M.I.A. - Kala

M.I.A., by all logic, should be a household name in America by now. The music industry went wild over her 2005 US debut Arular, resulting in a high profile gig opening for Gwen Stefani's Love.Angel.Music.Baby tour. But it almost seems like our general media culture was afraid of her. Not only is her music unlike anything playing on Top 40 stations right now, her story is one that seems to be impossible for some to reconcile in our post-9/11 existence.

M.I.A. was born in Sri Lanka. Her father was a member of the Tamil Tigers, widely viewed as an insurgent group, and was killed during her childhood. The remaining members of her immediate family became refugees in England. She went to college in America, participated in art shows, and eventually began producing her own music. Now she can't even get a VISA approved to work in the US.

But all of the paranoid political decisions couldn't stop the production of her new album Kala. While the plan was for Timbaland to produce her follow up to her critically hailed debut, the VISA problems resulted in her travelling the world and setting up impromptu studios wherever she went. The result is an eclectic mix of sonic influences that fulfills the promise of her debut while showing a clear signs of artistic maturation.

Based on simple looped backgrounds and featuring a vocal diversity best compared to Bjork if Bjork suddenly decided to do spoken word dance music, some will find the tracks on Kala irresistible. Others will notice that once again, M.I.A. is not afraid to candidly discuss the private details of her increasingly Reader's Digest-like abridged bio that appear in most articles about her. Whether sonically or textually, she provides a glimpse into a life that many would never be able to imagine.

It's difficult to name stand out tracks from the album because M.I.A. has such a different sound it's almost impossible to determine what people might be able to listen to, let alone enjoy. For me, the single best track is the bizarre Mango Pickle Down River. Featuring The Wilcannia Mob, the track discusses unique tastes in life from each contributor, including the titular mango pickles. Every verse is a variation of the same formula, and the background never changes from a sixteen beat pattern until the very end of the track, which only changes with scratching. The result is irresistible.

This is the kind of album that people will either understand or not. While I can't recommend the album enough, it would be wise - if you've never experienced M.I.A. - to preview the album before purchasing. M.I.A.'s international spoken word almost-dance music may be an acquired taste, but it's certainly worth knowing.