Tweet

Album Details

• Artist: M.i.a.
• Album: Arular
• Label: XL
• Year of Release: 2005
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2005-04-20

Sri Lankan by heritage but transplanted to London, M.I.A. (aka Maya Arulpragasm) is one girl that is taking the world by storm. What's the bit deal? One of the freshest hip-hop/reggae/dancehall/garage albums ever is the deal. Arular takes a grip as early as the first listen and after the second you are praising the beats on this album. You might mistake the huge rhythm for a Timbaland production job but he's nowhere to be found on Arular. Now, if you strip off the glam and hype off of Arular it really is a strongly political album focused on the Sri Lankan civil war and other general politics (she's got a message in her music, watch out), BUT if you take it for face value, it is one of the most danceable cross-genre albums ever. You can't help but groove to the beats of "Amazon" and the thick Missy Elliottt "10 $". In fact, Missy Elliott is probably the only person who gets even close to M.I.A. but has yet to make a completely solid album like Arular. The biggest problem with Arular is that it's under 40 minutes. It's a smart move on M.I.A.'s part though, it leaves you clambering for more of this highly infectious dance music. Even if you don't get off on dance or hip-hop, give Arular a minute of your time. It's got more charisma than classic Prince.

User Reviews and Comments

Log In or Register to Rate Albums