For someone as opinionated as M.I.A, her previous album, 2016's <i>Aim</i>, was a charmless affair. At the time, the British-Sri Lankan rapper and singer, full name Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, faced a fork in the road and couldn’t reconcile her trailblazing experimental approach with her increasing pop-friendly sounds that earned admiration from the likes of Madonna and Nicki Minaj. As a result, much of <i>Aim</i>, with the exception of strong single <i>Borders</i>, sounded lost. In that sense, M.I.A. was right to take time off to recalibrate. Her comeback effort, <i>Mata</i>, is an invigorating effort that brings both strands together and ultimately recaptures some of the spark. At under 40 minutes, it is a lean and vibrant mix of global sounds filtered through M.I.A.’s idiosyncratic song-writing. This means electronic bleats clash and at times blend with choral vocals, South-East Asian percussion and some fierce Tamil rapping. <i>F.I.A.S.O.M. (Freedom Is a State of Mind)</i> is a brilliant opener with its intoxicating mix of horns, Bhangra-style beats and sampled vocals. Hovering over that frenetic production is an an ethereal sounding M.I.A. declaring: "I don’t care if people don’t like me / If you’re lookin’, you know where to find me." <i>Zoo Girl</i> is another whirlwind of a mix. It is powered by bass rumbling trap production and laced with woozy keyboards and chanting backing vocals. The thumping <i>Energy Freq</i>, meanwhile, built on a sensual vocal loop from a Tamil film, could be this generation's version of Punjabi MC's 2002 hit <i>Mundian To Bach Ke.</i> While <i>Mata</i> is a thoroughly propulsive affair, the beats cloak some of the insecurity M.I.A. expresses in the lyrics. In the summery <i>The One</i> she is brimming with confidence as she acknowledges her success and stature, while in<i> Zoo Girl</i> it sounds as if she is trying to convince herself of her talent. "This time I’m gonna have way more bite,” she raps. “Put a voice to the mic, make a beat real tight. I still got fight, I still got vision. I still got sight, my brain's still bright" Indeed, with <i>Mata, </i>M.I.A. rediscovers her mojo and shows she still has plenty to say.