M.I.A. - /\/\ /\ Y /\ - CD

Label: XL / Interscope
Genre: Electro / Hip-Hop
Format: CD

It took the full album leak to hear where M.I.A. went with her third album, /\/\/\Y/\, because the first tracks we heard were so different: the aggressive, Suicide-sampling Born Free, the luxe Europop of XXXO, the industrial grind of Steppin Up, the playful club track, Teqkilla. It was true of her second album, Kala, (listen to Boyz, Jimmy, and Paper Planes, and decide what M.I.A. sounds like). This is what we love about M.I.A., seeing her make those leaps and landing, however unsteadily, right on the mark. So you expect a collage of styles and genres, political potshots and anti-corporate sloganeering. But what you dont expect from M.I.A. is an album as muddy as this. The pre-album buzz focused on her politics and authenticity. And on /\/\/\Y/\, the way she explores and addresses both are sharp as ever.