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M.I.A.
“Kala”
(XL)
Making her way through a bubbling blend of bleeps, chirps, chants and sirens, the Sri Lanka-by-way-of-London rapper and artist M.I.A. emerges from the sonic terrain she trod on her last album, “Arular,” to offer up the perfect response to that album’s agit-pop smorgasbord of sounds.
“Kala,” M.I.A.’s second release, delivers on the tantalizing promise of “Arular” with a kind of cross-cultural dance pop that borrows from everything: hip-hop, new wave, punk, bhangra, dancehall, house music, and so on. On “Paper Planes” she samples The Clash; on “Bird Flu” she samples clucking chickens. There’s didgeridoo, tabla and big hip-hop beats all simmering together, as well as lyrical nods to indie bands such as The Pixies and The Modern Lovers.
And, as with “Arular,” “Kala” is simultaneously deeply political and intensely personal. There’s no doubt that when M.I.A. turns the sound of a gun firing into the sound of a cash register, she’s making a direct social critique. But she’s also fiercely herself, as on the feisty, flirty “Boyz,” which serves as both a come-on and a mockery of macho posturing, or on the wispy Bollywood bubblegum pop of “Jimmy.”
Ultimately, M.I.A. is an agitator, both artistically and politically. Who else would dare to meld such a multitude of sounds and styles with such a radical commentary on today”s state of affairs? When the revolution comes, I know what the soundtrack will be.
– EMILY BURNHAM
Fuel
“Angels and Devils”
(Epic)
Judging from the 13 songs on this new release, reports of this quartet’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Four years after the release of third album “Natural Selection” and the subsequent breakup of this band despite increasing popularity, Fuel is back.
Well, half of Fuel is back as bass guitarist and lyricist Jeff Abercrombie returns with guitarist, vocalist and keyboard player Carl Bell. Gone are lead singer-guitarist Brett Scallions and drummer Kevin Miller. Their replacements are lead vocalist Toryn Green (selected by open Internet search) and former Godsmack drummer Tommy Stewart.
Usually, the loss of your lead vocalist and half your band leads to the end of the road, but “Angels and Devils” proves there’s still a lot left in Fuel’s tank. There’s plenty to like here and nothing worth skipping over.
Debut single “Wasted Time” (the album has two versions: g-mix and s-mix, g for great and s for solid) should quickly re-establish Fuel with existing fans while making many new ones. Other standouts include infectious rocker “Hangin’ Round” and brooding “Angels Take a Soul.”
Abercrombie and Bell seem to have figured a way to mix the trademark sound of their previous incarnation with Stewart’s powerful beats and Green’s voice, which is similar to Scallions’ without being a carbon copy. Green infuses a new personality and noticeable deviation in sound, but listeners should easily be able to imagine him carrying off former group classics such as “Hemorrhage (in my Hands)” and “Bad Day.” Go ahead and gas up, Fuel fans.
– ANDREW NEFF
Sean Kingston
“Sean Kingston”
(Epic/Beluga Heights)
You gotta love an artist who can honor the classics while appropriating parts of them for his own use. On his debut album, the 17-year-old Kingston samples songs much older than himself, including Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me” (on his hit single “Beautiful Girls”), Led Zeppelin’s “D’yer Mak’er” (“Me Love”), Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” (“I Can Feel It”) and a real stretch, Bing Crosby’s “I Ain’t Got Nobody” (“Got No Shorty”).
Kingston, who is Miami-born and Jamaica-bred, takes these familiar beats and melds them into his own blend of rap, reggae, pop and doo-wop. In other words, something old becomes new again.
The flagship artist on producer J.R. Rotem’s Beluga Heights label, Kingston (ne Kisean Anderson) is more than just a sampling savant. He wrote all 14 songs on the album, including the very personal “Dry Your Eyes,” about his mother and sister being sent to prison when he was only 15.
Kingston, a digital discovery on MySpace.com, proves a positive example of urban music, managing to express himself lyrically without cursing or being negative. “I write my own songs,” he explained, “so it’s like if I can write a great track without using those words, then that’s the style for me.”
A new artist who appeals both to youth and their parents? No wonder Kingston has broken out of the gate so quickly. His debut album shows that he has the stuff to keep his success going.
– DALE McGARRIGLE
Calvin Harris
“I Created Disco”
(Columbia)
Forgive Calvin Harris for being a little full of himself. The fact that this 23-year-old Scotsman created his immensely enjoyable electropop debut album on a beat-up Amiga computer in his bedroom entitles him to make a few wild claims about inventing entire genres of music.
Already a hit in the UK, where it has spawned a pair of top 10 singles, “I Created Disco” looks ready to follow Mylo’s “Destroy Rock & Roll” into the hearts of electronic-music obsessives and casual pop fans alike here in the U.S. Like fellow Scot Mylo, Harris doesn’t fool around with dull things like subtlety or tastefulness. The synths squelch irresistably, Harris speak-sings so-bad-it’s-good gems such as “I’ve got my car and my ride and my wheels” or “Come in to my house, you’re invited into my house, entering the back of my house,” and we’re all too busy nodding our heads or stomping our feet to care. There’s no time for ballads or breathers, just one ecstatic, ridiculous synth anthem after another.
“Acceptable in the 80s” is a loving tribute to the cheesy pop of that decade, while “The Girls” has an indelible riff and a chorus that will stick in your head for weeks. And don’t even get me started on the gloriously ludicrous “Neon Rocks”(“Sparking at my neon rocks / Pulling out inside pink socks”) or the goofy faux-scientist monologue on the album’s title track. Did Calvin Harris really create disco? Of course not. But if he keeps putting out music that’s this much fun, we should probably all just humor him.
– travis gass
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