MIA - Sunshowers
[XL Recordings]

Second single from new XL Recordings artiste M.I.A. and it's a little stormer. There appears to be a battle of the sexes going on just recently in the world of UK garage/grime/2-step, proving that it's somewhat sexist to think of the genre as being male dominated.

It's not just boys who can take charge of the mic and show off their lyrical flow, the fairer sex have been staging a bit of a rebellion what with Shystie's sudden mainstream emergence and Lisa Maffia's solo success. Ms Dynamite started it all off, guesting on digital-dancehall-ragga anthem 'Boo' but having won a Mercury, enjoyed 2 top 10 singles and retired from the public eye to have a baby and enjoy a new elevated celeb status, it's time for a new breed of female MC's to rise up and show us what they've got.

To start with, 'Sunshower' by Dr Buzzards Original Savannah Band is one of the great lost songs of the late 70's. Crafted by a pre-fame August Darnell (later to form Kid Creole & The Coconuts) and his brother, the two opted to try and recreate the sound and style of 1930's 'dance bands' and fuse the concept with the modern disco sound that was beginning to emerge. The result
was unique, and on 'Sunshower', fascinating. Laid back, smooth and a kind of mellow jazziness all of their own, the song benefits from luxorious crooned female chanteuse vocals and a very cute playground chant kiddies sung chorus.

Kut M.I.A. takes the main hookline, uses it sparingly, changes it little and lays down some seriously dope rhymes in a completely different style. An impeccable sample source and innovative production combine to create something stupendously good. Electro squelches, filtered klaxons and some mind-melding bowel-trembling warped sub-bass form the framework of the track - the beats are tough and meaty and M.I.A.'s style of rapping fierce, sassy, upfront and ragga/dancehall influenced. Effortlessly bridges the gap between electro, hip hop, 2-step and, with a hint of bhangra about the Eastern tinged melody, could almost be a distant relation of Missy's 'Get Ur Freak On'. It won't have half the impact but in 3 months time this girl will blow up big time.

Dabbling in avant-electronic sound fx and experimenting with ultra-tight minimal production in the same way as Dizzee Rascal's extraordinary album, this is very much the sound of now and is what's starting to get people talking. Future garage, bump n' grind, flexibeat - call it what you will, this unpretentious keeping it real open-minded ethos amongst young black musicians and MC's is what needs to be championed, encouraged and given space to nurture and develop, while still remaining fiercely independent.

It's refreshing to hear such lyrical and instrumental genius in an age of retro indie-band clones and slushy american r 'n' b. Big props to M.I.A. for recording a simple no-nonsense cut the crap slice of uk urban feistiness. Queen of the jungle in the promo video, soon to be queen of the scene for real.