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MIA's more creative side Feb 04, 2010
I really like Kala, and the more I listen to it, the more it grows on me. I feel each song has a unique, different flavor to it. It doesn't seem as forced as Arular. I enjoyed M.I.A.'s first album with it's poppy hits, but after a while it felt forced fed. With Kala, there's a smoother, more orchestrated effort by M.I.A. and guest vocalists. The beats are more soulful and hypnotic in their rhythms. And this album will make you move. Can't wait to hear the remixes on the dance floor, especially for 20 Dollar, XR2 and Hussel. Kala really showcases Maya as a creative artist rather than an overproduced number.
 Great only by terrible relativity Oct 22, 2009
2 1/2
Sounds a little too tryingly innovative via exploiting various cultural elements. For mainstream club music it certainly is deserving, but as sheer music Kala is lacking, where these promising elements rarely come together to form a compelling whole, as evidenced by a select choice examples.
...And the people have been pulled up! Jul 18, 2009
I.
It's very hard to write about a record like Kala. Not because a lot has been written already as much as because you feel like you wouldn't be doing it justice by simply stating what you liked about it. There is plenty to like, obviously. M.I.A. sounds like an aggressor you're willing to serve. Her music is abrasively tough, pumping hard, getting into your head, regardless of whether you want it there or not. Her voice sounds like a voice of a revolutionary. Some of us have no idea what she's talking about. What I relate to the most is the music: a bit of Bollywood gloss here, lots of thumping beats there, add a bit of sass and lots of trance. Sure, it can be dangerous to connect to music you don't know the message of, but how much harmful can grooving to something like this be?
II.
Even though Kala sounds tribal, it also manages to be unusually futuristic. The production is slick and modern, but never resembles a studio product. It's rather a sound of a battlefield, what with arms and fists as well as hollering and marching. I'm not interested in tracking influences or deciphering the message. What I want you to know is that this music can speak to you -- on your own level, but on M.I.A.'s terms. There are negative connotations with music that gets labeled as political, but with this much dance-inducing numbers, you're well aware that your body is not interested in politics; it wants to move. And with all the recognizable and unrecognizable layers, you're secluded to the safety of your living room, listening to cries of Sri Lanka. M.I.A. does not just sound original, she is original. She's also sharp and focused. 2007 had many victories, but none as well-earned as Kala. And if you're wondering where your money lies, it's all about what you're expecting to get. For heat-seekers and dancefloor junkies, check "XR2" and the opening track, for menacing atmospheres, check "Hussel" and "Come Around", for heart-stoppers, check "Jimmy" and "20 Dollar", etc.
III.
Regardless of whether you choose to see M.I.A. as a cold-blooded banshee or an estrogen-driven terrorist, your enjoyability of this record depends solely on how much bizarre soundscapes you're willing to take in. Kala is essentially flawed, but it shines like a sharp-edged metal in a hot, sunny desert. For those of us who simply want to shake their booty, it's a God-given. I say open your mind to a work of art that rises upon so many levels and yet stays earthbound. Rest assured, you will appreciate its peculiarities.
One of the most fun albums of the year Apr 28, 2009
After being bombarded with "Paper Planes" on a seemingly nonstop basis this was the LAST album I thought I'd enjoy. A friend of mine told me to give it a chance. I am glad I did. There's a lot of fun to be had with this one. Very rough, very eclectic and did I mention fun? But beware, some of these songs will get trapped in your noggin.
Pomme
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Representin' the World Town Mar 09, 2009
Before "The Pinepple Expess" made a success of "Paper Planes," Kala had turned the curious ear of many music fans. Superficially, it presents itself as a head-bobbing hip-hop album that could serve as the cacophonous soundtrack to a jammed block party. However, peeling back this immediate layer reveals socially conscious lyrics layered upon an intricate tapestry of sound. "Kala" features recombined snippets of Eastern folk music alongside old-school Afrikaa Bambataa-style proto-hip-hop. The resulting beats and loops are sophisticated and chaotic, rather like the work of Public Enemy at their creative height. The final product hardly sounds like the components from which it is made, and its elaborate arrangement masks its "loopy" structure. In my opinion, this is the way in which sampling can be musical.
This aesthetic pervades "Kala." As an example, listen to "Jimmy," in which bollywood-inflected strings co-exist with a disco feel to create...a 70's ABBA track? Sound impossible? I also find the loop on "20 Dollar" to be particularly clever. Although this isn't my favorite track, I appreciate the way that the sub-bass creates the gestalt impression that the listener's speakers are being overblown. The bass notes seem to suspend nearly all else until it subsides. By suspending all other rhythmic activity, the bass hits gain a power that cannot be attained by merely turning up the stereo.
I do not have much in my library to compare "Kala" to. Because its message is so consistent, I am often reminded of Dr. Dre's breakout "The Chronic." Of course, "Kala" sounds nothing like "The Chronic," but they both have a unifying "vibe." I am also tempted to refer to Panjabi MC, but this comparison is a little weak. Despite their similar cultural background as displaced Indo-British, M.I.A.'s comparatively cheeky attitude, undoubtedly stemming from her varied biography, makes her seem, well, a little "gangsta" in comparison to Panjabi MC. She speaks with a voice that sounds like it has had a wide array of life experiences, which lends it a certain gravitas.
I am not referring merely to the physical sounds that M.I.A. produces with her lungs and throat. I mean the significance and purpose of the sounds of "Kala." M.I.A.'s sounds speak volumes. Most obviously, the now-famous chorus to "Paper Planes" the sounds of gunshots and cash registers clearly tell a story, and on "XR2," video game sounds take over the expressive role of M.I.A.'s physical voice. These sounds reveal as much about her fractalized musical identity as the words she uses or the melodies she sings. Even when M.I.A. is not technically "singing" on "Kala," you can hear her voice. This type of expression is slowly being eroded away as the public repeatedly chooses the cultureless polish of "American Idol" contestants over artists that really have something to say about who they are and where they are coming from.
It has become cliché to say that the world is shrinking. Now that any kind of music from anywhere is available any time, it might be more accurate to say that the world has shrunk and the cultural flood gates are open. It has been theorized that the increasing flow of cultural material across various conduits would result in a "cultural grey-out," in which everything, no matter in what part of the world it originated, would start to sound the same. Thankfully, this has not happened. Instead, artists have "dug into" their specific identity and began to simultaneously appropriate and resist the musical materials that they were exposed to. "Kala" is a product of this condition.
THE LOWDOWN: If you like smart hip-hop with a lot of flavor and deep beats, "Kala" should be on your playlist from beginning to end. However, M.I.A.'s lyrics and identity are also profound. Ten years ago, she might have ended up in the "world music" bin. Now, she represents an entire generation of people whose experiences hold more weight than the patch of land that they call home.
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