M.I.A. - Bad Girls

Halfway between the raw electro of XXXO and the low-slung Eastern melodiousness of Paper Planes, M.I.A's new single Bad Girls comes on as a powerful summation of everything she stands for as an artist.

With the kind of credibility and critical affectation for her first two albums most artists can only dream of, M.I.A. is in many ways the true outre pop princess, and with Paper Planes, Slumdog Millionaire and everything else that came with Kala's acceptance into the public consciousness, M.I.A. became the kind of singer who could deliver profoundly 'big' records like Bad Girls at the bat of her lashes.

And now, singlehandly guest starring on the new Madonna track while serving up a lead single of her own, the spotlight has never been more firmly placed straight on her. And what a track to step into the limelight with. A brawling, pulsing monster of a track, Bad Girls throws everything into the mixer. The video rocks too.

With its 'chain hits my chest when I'm banging on the dash' refrain tripping off MIA's tongue, the track is gripped in a perpetual sensation of energy and movement. For every swerve of those cars, for every screech of burning rubber, the track catapults to higher heights - a physical force of momentum slung outward at blockbuster speed.