Her mixtapes were fantastic, ARULA was impeccable and KALA was a treat - MAYA on the otherhand seems a lil out of place. Think cosy Christams scene with the weirdo family member banished to the snowy outdoors, forced to watch the family through a fogged window.
"let me in, i'm awesome too!"
"don't u dare look at it! continue to eat your turkey - now!... Kala?! did you hear what i just SAID!?!"
Put simply, there's something missing on this here MAYA, it's as if the magic has been replaced with something much less inspiring, namely fear or even loss of passion. Hear me out...
ARULA was brimming with beautiful madness, with lyrics that collided with bass to create a truly stunning piece of art. Her political sway was never lost in the drums and her personality was never overshadowed by the expectations of the industry. She made her stance and marked her territory with refreshing defiance, she had arrived!
KALA was a triumph with energy levels and inspiration dripping all over robotic circuitry with ridiculously deep story lines and symbolism that simply left you open mouthed with their pitch perfect delivery. The album was fun. You heard it on BOYZ you heard it on HUSTLE and most definitely heard it on MANGO PICKLE. The album gave a nod to its predecessor, took the baton and ran, making waves as it did so.
now this brings us to MAYA... don't get me wrong, the album is good - but MIA is a whole other level above merely 'good'. The album packs a punch (but then again, so does my granny) but unlike my granny MAYAs impact seems to have been swallowed in self doubt and subsequently doesn't make as much of an impact as it should have or could have done. MIA has always been on the outskirts but when Paper Planes came out, suddenly the nay-sayers became fans and MIA was embraced into the inner circle of wide spread musical acceptance. *shudder*
To me, this is why MAYA opts for shin kicks instead of dropkicks and flesh wounds instead of a down-right massacre. MAYA appears to take everything MIA stands for and sprinkles a lil sugar on it to make it an eeny weeny bit more palatable to the new comers.
I like the album but i really did struggle to listen to it from start to finish. It is painful to listen to because it's as if MIA is holding back, and biting her tongue to save herself from offending the very industry that she once stuck two fingers to. Disappointed fans may say "don't be harsh, she's in control and is going in a new direction", this may be true but when you no longer recognise the person driving this 'new' direction, then we kinda have a /\/\ajor problem, don't we?
3 stars ***