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Attention! M.I.A., one of the most surprising hits of 2005, has released her sophomore album, Kala! And I am pleased to report that she has not been affected by the sophomore slump. This album features more tongue-in-cheek songwriting as well as top-notch production from the likes of Fidget House maestro Switch, and hip-hop powerhouse Timbaland.

Let me start at the beginning. Arular, the debut album from Maya Arul (we affectionately know her as M.I.A.) held some definite hits with Galang, Bucky Done Gun, and Pull Up The People, but it lacked an album cohesion that would have made the entire experience unforgettable.


She has found that cohesion with Kala.

From the first song, Bamboo Banger, you can see she's onto something. While Bamboo Banger doesn't have the most expansive lyrics ever, what is truly cool about this song is the progressive beat that gets more and more complicated over the duration of the song. This leads quite nicely into Bird Flu, a pounding thumper with what sounds like a group of small children and something that resembles a swan being choked. As strange as that sounds, it works quite well. This is a great track. Next we have the lead single, Boyz, a track produced by Switch. While nowhere near as catchy as Galang, Boyz has its own undeniable charm. You may want to take time off between repeated listens, as I've found it starts to grate a little the more you listen to it. Luckily, you have the rest of the album to distract you! Jimmy, the next single off the album, is based on a song from Bollywood's Disco Dancer. This is probably the tamest song of her career, but it's great and should not be overlooked.

Other standout tracks include $20, which samples New Order's Blue Monday, slowed down to a nice hip groove overlayed at first with M.I.A.'s wandering but ethereal voice and then with her lyrics. This song is about the difference of $20 here and $20 where she comes from. A great lyric from this song is I put people on the map that never seen a map. Paper Planes, my personal favorite, is a happy tune with a catchy laid-back r&b beat. Wait, happy What Here is the chorus:

All I wanna do is
BANG BANG BANG BANG
And I
Click Register Sound
And take your money

How pleasant! And absolutely genius. I love this woman.

Summary ? This is a DO NOT MISS album, one of the best of 2007, and immensely better than her previous album. This album will go places.