When it was released in April, "Arular" was greeted with rave reviews and a wave of hype that was almost unprecedented for the debut of a little known artist whose hip-hop defies category. It incorporating dancehall, reggae, Brazilian funk, a British beat-based music called grime and even a little garage rock.

Most of the stories then concentrated on M.I.A.'s biography. Maya Arulpragasm was born in Sri Lanka, the daughter of a fighter in that country's ongoing civil war. A refugee, she settled with her family in West London, went to art school to study film, hooked up with Elastica, then electro-clash vixen Peaches, who hooked Maya up with an '80s-style drum machine.

An underground phenomenon, M.I.A. wrote about urban unease, pop culture and revolution and wrapped the lyrics around some serious dance beats. That landed her on a major label and big things were expected.

But "Arular" didn't go shooting up the charts. So Interscope is giving it another push. I got another copy of the record in the mail last week and am more than happy to join in the second wave of hype for a very deserving release that's one of the best records of 2005.

Regardless of her biography, "Arular" contains an irresistible cascade of beat-driven, world-spanning dance music.

Jamaican dancehall, for example, is at the forefront in "Sunshowers" and "Galang" — a perfect fit for her voice. But the grime influence, with its buzz and driving drums, pushes through the record, as does the low-tech drum machine and there's even a little TV sampling, with Fred Sanford making an appearance on "One for the Head Skit."

You can get smart by listening to M.I.A.'s lyrics that are political without being polemics. But the proof of "Arular" is in its joyous, bouncing music. Throw it on at a party and let the dancing begin.

M.I.A.

"Arular"

***** (out of five stars)