Kala

Kala is the second studio album by M.I.A. and it was released by XL Insterscope on 2007. The album ranges from dance music to alternative hip hop and makes extensive use of world music, particularly South Asian music such as that of the urumee, a drum used in gaana music native to Tamil Nadu, India.
It reached number 18 on the Billboard 200 chart, 172 places higher than Arular, and topped the magazine’s Top Electronic Albums chart. In the United Kingdom it reached number 39 on the UK Albums Chart, 59 places higher than her debut album. Kala has spawned the singles “Boyz”, “Jimmy” and “Paper Planes”.

Kala achieved a high placing on most publications’ end of year “best of 2007” lists, including placings at number eight (Stylus), number seven (NME), number six (Paste, The A.V. Club and Entertainment Weekly), number four (The Guardian and Drowned in Sound[), and number three (Pitchfork Media). The album was also listed at number three on The Village Voice’s 35th annual Pazz & Jop poll. Blender and Rolling Stone both named Kala as their number one album of 2007.

In 2009 NME placed the album at number 72 in its list of the 100 greatest albums of the decade, Rolling Stone named it the ninth best album of the same period, and veteran critic Robert Christgau named it the best album of the decade.

1. Bamboo Banga
2. Bird Flu (orig’ Nov 06 single)
3. Boyz (orig’ Jun 07 single)
4. Jimmy (later Oct 07 single)
5. Hussel (feat. Afrikan Boy)
6. Mango Pickle Down River (with Wilcannia Mob)
7. 20 Dollar
8. World Town
9. The Turn
10. XR2
11. Paper Planes (later Feb 08 single)
12. Come Around (feat. Timbaland)