Santogold - Santogold

Genre alternative Publisher Downtown Records External Links Santogold Website

The self titled debut album from Santogold (Santi White) is a remarkable deviation from female pop swag. Released by Downtown records, Santogold is a mixture of pop and new wave R&B sounds that diverges away from anything that is easily classifiable. All songs are written by the collaboration team of Santogold herself and musician John Hill.

'L.E.S. Artistes' is like neo blues yarn woven into the fabric of pop culture. It's a great song that is driven by White's exceptional vocal abilities. It's not that she is a great singer, but her voice is solid enough and creates an immediate sense of personal style. She holds the melody well and has a good ability to sing it how she hears it. The music behind the voice is a strong supporting cast of clever musicianship. 'You'll find a Way' picks up the tempo from 'L.E.S. Artistes' and is essentially more rock in nature. The music is all guitar, drums, and bass but is not in need of rescue. Santogold delivers spaz like energy that follows the contours of the song perfectly. 'Shove it' is more electronic R&B and should be popular enough for dance environments. 'Say Aha' starts slowly but finished quite nicely.

'Creator' is the other single from Santogold(L.E.S. Artistes being the other). It's funky, fresh, and filled with all sorts of loops, swoops, and other effects. Like 'Shove it' it has plenty of dance appeal and draws parallels to work from M.I.A and the more notorious Fergie. 'Superman' follows 'Creator' with a dark drudge for a sound that seems to last longer than it really is. 'Lights out' is a decent song but is nothing compared to some of Santogold's other tracks. 'Starstruck' and 'Unstoppable' are interesting enough for their warped appeals but didn't do much for me. 'I'm a Lady' is a fine track that is quietly one of the boldest songs on the album. Santi's vocals become much more moderate in this tale of womanhood. It's a simple song but the melody sustains it nicely, especially during the memorable chorus. Fans of M.I.A and Amy Winehouse will probably find this song quite enjoyable. 'Anne' is another eerie song that sounds more distant than personal. Creating a sense of slow motion without a lack of tempo, the song is ambient, placid, and there is nothing musically acoustic about it. The album's last track is a remix of 'You'll Find a Way', I didn't really like it.

The debut album Santogold by Santogold is a clever make by an artist with a lot of promise. The music has enough flavors to find a sweet tooth in most listeners and Santi White's vocals arguable get two thumbs up. Although the album doesn't explode with any one thing, it's got something for everyone to connect. Santogold is original, subversive, and filled with a passion that is at times subtle or direct.