Santogold

One of the most anticipated releases

Unwilling to be like the others American singer Santi White has always chosen unusual lines: she started as the leader of post punk/new wave band Stiffed, tried her hand at being an author writing songs for Lily Allen and Ashlee Simpson and finally pursues a solo career. Today the thirty-two year old performer is quite well known in the music business and many big-named producers have been pleased to work with her. Debut record Santogold that Santi releases with the same pseudonym has proved to be one of the last and current years' most anticipated releases in many ways due to the fact that earlier released singles Creator and LES Artistes managed to hot up the interest to it demonstrating White's unusual manner of performance and her great tandem with fellow-musician John Hill. As for production and collaborations the figures involved here have proved to be Chuck Treece (Bad Brains), Cliffored "Moonie" Pusey (Steel Pulse, Freq Nasty, M.I.A), Radioclit, Sinden, Switch, Trouble Andrew, and XXXchange.

A bold incoherence on Santogold

Santogold is different from the other works of the kind with its bold incoherence: each song on it seems to live its own life and it is absolutely impossible to say what it is going to sound like every following minute. The album opens with an energetically amazing single LES Artistes, surprising with a nice combination of strange sounds, varied percussion and White's vivid sonorous voice, and a more rhythmic composition You'll Find A Way gets closer to rock due to the faultless guitar riffs and more powerful drums though the impression is softened by almost templar back vocals. Song Shove It featuring Spankrock is in absolutely different direction joining pop with march rhythms which is a bit reminiscent of Gwen Stefani's last works, while track Say Aha is obviously inspired by the music of 1990's, ethnic motifs, Indian movies and contemporary indie rock. Single Creator (Vs Switch & Nasty) is one of the most unusual songs lately fully based on the combination of what cannot be combined: Santi showcases the wonders of vocals against a complicated multilayered electronic background utterly ignoring whateverstylistic borders, which results in a great emotional track. Calmer songs My Superman and Unstoppable surprise with the singer's beautiful voice and a special tunefulness as well as a wonderfully nice track I'm A Lady featuring Trouble Andrew. A somewhat ironic text of song Anne that is on the whole rather sad is successfully married to an interesting arrangement making this one of the most beautiful and complex pieces on the record, and the final remix on You'll Find A Way (Switch & Sinden Remix) is the composition's harder version which is still not devoid of a certain charm.

A bright, creative and wonderfully contagious record

Getting a university education and being a qualified expert of African-American culture and music Santi White nevertheless does not think it necessary to perform rap or R&B although there are the elements of both directions in her creative work. Her first album has gathered the artist's all experience as a songwriter and as a vocalist and also become the embodiment of her views on what a really good quality music is supposed to sound like. Uniting several styles from dub and reggae to rock and jazz record Santogold has proved to be bright, creative and wonderfully contagious with Santi managing to build a certain mood on each of the songs without almost ever repeating herself. It is worth while saying that the instrumental background has been largely carried out by another former member of collective Stiffed John Hill and it is due to his work that White's vocals get underlined by the sounds of an origin that is at times most mysterious that makes it sound even more powerful. Eclectic and mesmerizing, reminding of the best works of M.I.A and Royksopp album Santogold has proved to be a very inspiring debut which is sure to be followed by new works that will conquer even a larger number of listeners, then again, this year their number will only grow.