| | M I A Kala CD M I A Discography of CDs
 (24 Customer Reviews)
M.I.A.'s ARULAR marks the arrival of an explosive new voice in popular music. The brainchild of Sri Lankan MC Maya Arulpragasam, the music of M.I.A. ("Missing in Action") reflects her harried, transient upbringing. The daughter of a revolutionary ... Full Descriptionmember of the controversial Tamil Tigers, Arulpragasam settled in London as a teenager, where she went on to study fine art and film at the Central Saint Martin's School of Art. After being hired by Justin Frischmann to document an Elastica tour, Frischmann inspired Arulpragasam to write songs of her very own.
The result is a dizzying assault to the senses, a sound that incorporates so many different styles it seems almost incomprehensible. Fortunately, it sounds incredible. Equal parts grime, electronica, hip-hop, dancehall, and straight-up club music, ARULAR demands listeners find the nearest dance floor and get down to it. But making ferociously danceable music isn't Arulpragasam's only goal. Spouting politically charged lyrics in an aggressive chanting style, M.I.A. reminds her audience that while music might provide a temporary escape, it can't erase the senseless violence that continues to plague the world. Powerful and gleefully audacious, ARULAR is world music at its most electrifying.
M.I.A. (Rap): Maya Arulpragasam.
Recording information: 2004.Rolling Stone (p.65) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "It's heavier, noisier, more jagged....KALA strikes deep....A riot of human, musical and mechanical sounds bubbles underneath these tracks."
Rolling Stone (p.107) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Top Albums of the Year 2007" -- "M.I.A.'s second album was an international block party with a sonic imagination nobody could match all year."
Spin (p.127) - 4.5 stars out of 5 -- "M.I.A.'s border-crossing dance pop is a revolutionary manifesto set the victory party vibe of the future."
Entertainment Weekly (p.133) - "KALA is propelled by genuinely stellar moments: the manic thrall of 'Jimmy,' the ferocious gunshot-chorused 'Paper Planes.'" -- Grade: B
Uncut (p.87) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] head-spinning equatorial dash....She twangs the boundaries of taste both lyrically and musically. But a knockout's a knockout..."
The Wire (p.57) - "She has kept her globetrotting spirit intact in later years -- for Kala she's harvested inspiration and sounds from streets on every continent."
The Wire (p.37) - Ranked #8 in The Wire's "Top Ten Records of the Year 2007" -- "[The] album saw her in transcontinental globetrotting mode in search of the tribal beats, engine sounds and local pop samples mishmashed into KALA."
Q (Magazine) (p.76) - Ranked #34 in Q's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2007" -- "[H]ip hop by way of Africa, the Caribbean and the Indian subcontinent..." Hide Description Kala Music Review Average Rating: (4 out of 5 stars)   List All Reviews Can I give it zero stars?
Bought this disc on favourable reviews in the music press. What an error of judgment!! This is COMPLETE dross and best avoided at all costs. Not sure in all my CD-buying years to have acquired such a turkey. Avoid. Avoid.
Submitted by brian (Dublin, Ireland) 
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 1 found this helpful.
 Best album of 2005 so far!
I'm seeing her in concert this summer! That's how awesome she is!
Great Electro beats, with Indian and Reggae influences. Wow! I love how bold she is. This is a great "Political Party" cd! Pun intended!
Submitted by Asha G. (New York)
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Seriously BAAD ****
I have really never heard anything quite like this. The musical sensibility is so vivid and potent that I could hardly turn the CD player off. I was first drawn to MIA's own recordings of some of these cuts and must admit that the production sheen on the full album isn't always to my liking. I'm most fond of the jarring beats and discordant blurts of sound on, for example, "Bucky Done Gun." The more nearly original tracks like "Galang" and "Pull up The People" also cut me harder. Nonetheless, this is such infectious and almost breathtakingly original performance that I just LOVE listening! I guess the downside would be the content. This is subversive material. I sure don't intend my daughters to develop the cynicism of "10 Dollar" or the misandry of "Hombre." I also hope that youth in this world find more hope and drop fewer bombs than the mutually distrustful citizens of M.I.A.'s world. What a disc, though! Seriously BAAD ****!
Submitted by hanf (Suburban, middle class, Calgary, AB Canada)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No Enri B
Love it!!!An incredible album from Sri Lanka...A superbe mix of ragga, dancehall,eastern influences,8o's electro beats and pure crazyness!Highly recommended..
Submitted by enricobenini2003 (Forli', Italy)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  World Music and independent thinking all the way!
Wow! This is so refreshing. Maya raps about things she has experienced in her place of origin, India. The way she raps about it is very empowering. She sounds strong and she speaks the truth about the world in great electronic dance reggae/indie beats.
I love the eclectic mix and i love to dance to this.
If your sick of mainstream and pop culture buy this album!
Submitted by Asha (New York)
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Purchase Kala CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... CD (1995)
Kala album
 $9.35    
The topics on CUBAN LINX are all Chef-centered braggadocio, and the beats constantly reflect the hip-hop underground. Raekwon defines the politics of the rap game on "Incarcerated Scarfaces," and invites any non-believers to test his skills. Joining Raekwon on just about every cut, fellow Clan-man Ghost Face Killer gives a great solo effort on "Wisdom Body."
In fact, CUBAN LINX bares closer resemblance to an actual Wu-Tang Clan album than any solo record by a Wu-Tang member. The backing track for "Guillotine (Swordz)" was previously introduced on Method Man's solo album TICAL, and Raekwon and his crew expand on it for a quick flashback. "Can It Be All So Simple" also returns--this time in a remixed ...
| | Menace II Society DVD (1993) Widescreen
Kala CD music
 $8.05
| | T-Rock Defcon 1: Lyrical Warfare CD (2003)
Kala music CDs
$13.89
| | Chappelle's Show - Season 1 Uncensored DVDs (2003)
Kala songs
$14.75
| | Arcade Fire Funeral CD (2004)
Kala album
$12.25
Favorably compared to the Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, and Broken Social Scene, the Arcade Fire's sound seems to come from a lifetime of listening to the Cure, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, and many others--even a dose of soul gets worked into these grand anthems. Chassagne delivers some spellbinding vocals on "Haiti," while the tinkling piano and strings on "Crown of Love" conjure up a heartbroken surfside prom. In 2004, this made many critics' year-end lists, and it's no wonder--the songs on ...
| | Paul McCartney Flowers In The Dirt CD (1989)
Kala CD music
$13.75
All songs written by Paul McCartney except "My Brave Face", "You Want Her Too", "Don't Be Careless Love" and "That Day Is Done" (McCartney/MacManus).
FLOWERS IN THE DIRT is arguably McCartney's finest album of the '80s (and '90s, for that matter). A large part of the credit is due to Elvis Costello, who cowrote several of the album's tracks. Costello provided the necessary artistic contrast that had been missing in McCartney's compositional process ever since his parting with Lennon. It doesn't hurt either that McCartney's melodic bass figures are at the heart of many arrangements here, a crucial element lacking in much of his previous solo work.
The Costello collaborations are predictably the strongest offerings: the opening "My Brave Face" is a cheeky, upbeat post-breakup tune, and "You Want Her Too" is an infectious expression of romantic rivalry. McCartney's own tunes are none too shabby, though. The warm, sentimental "Put It There" and the rocking "Figure of Eight" are among the solo-composed standouts.
Engineers: Neil Dorfsman, Steve Lipson, Geoff Emrick, Arne Frager, Jon Kelly, Jon Jacobs, Peter Henderson, Tchad Blake, Ross Cullum.
Personnel include: Paul McCartney ...
| | Gentle Sounds Musical Sea Of Tranquility CD (1992)
$4.29 | | Chet Baker Songs For Lovers CD (1997)
Kala music CDs
$9.49
All 12 tracks here span the years 1953-1957 and were recorded when Chet Baker was at the peak of his popularity. Most of the tracks were recorded by his quartet, which included pianist Russ Freeman. Baker always favored romantic jazz standard ballads of yearning and seduction. His trumpet playing is extremely natural and melodic and disarmingly yet deceptively simple. He plays in clear toned, ...
| | Eric Levi Era 2 CD (2001) (Import) Canada
Kala songs
$15.05 
| | Starhawk Let It Begin Now: Music From The Spiritual Dance CD (1992)
Kala album
$13.55
| | Der Kastanienball CDs (2005) (Import)
Kala CD music
$29.39
| | Keith & Joan Pitzer West Virginia Serenade CD (2004)
Kala music CDs
$17.09
Keith & Joan Pitzer blend rich vocal harmonies with skillful acoustic guitar and bass, embellished with ...
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