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Brilliant And Funny But Radio Ignored It

CHEWIE | 04/29/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sometimes it is mind blowing that great artists Santogold will be ignored but Britney Spears continues to produce hit albums. That is the case with "Santogold". I am a fan of punk music and the cover art was so cool I had to buy this album. Thankfully, I am very glad I did.



Santogold has a great sense of humor and interesting voice. While it took me a while to get into it the music is really catchy and addicting. I hope Santogold comes out with a new album in the future and has a great career. It is a shame not enough people know about this and the radio ignores it.



4 / 5 Stars"

See that little gold star up in the corner? I put that ther

Andrew Ellington | I'm kind of everywhere | 02/25/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, so I owe the movie `Fame' a little piece of my current happiness since it was during a particular scene of the film where I whipped out my phone and pulled up that blessed V Cast song ID app and found myself searching the internet for anything I could find on Santogold (or is it Santigold?). `You'll Find A Way' is just all sorts of O-M-G amazing, and the best thing about this self titled debut solo project is that, well, it's not the only song that makes me go O-M-G!



Seriously...



O

M

G



I hope that Rolling Stone was practicing their prolific powers when they declared that Santogold was the "future of music" because I could totally get all wrapped up in this new wave of artistry. For the record, I am not a gigantic fan of M.I.A., an artist who Santogold happens to draw comparisons to. I mean, I like M.I.A., but I find that overall her style overshadows any real substance and her work resembles the early stages of a well intentioned experiment.



Santogold fine-tunes that same experiment, with stunning results.



A flawless mix of punk, industrial, jazz, ska, R&B, hip-hop, dance, techno, African tribal and just about anything else you can think of, Santogold's self titled album is the definition of music. Santi White's vocals are nothing short of tantalizing, simply haunting in their almost eerie sense of provocative sensuality.



You are intrigued as much as you are cautious.



For me, there are a few prime standouts. Both versions of `You'll Find A Way' are just stunning, especially the album version, which for me feels a bit more organic. The punk rock overtones are flawlessly incorporated into Santi's vocal stylings, creating something so absorbing and engaging; and that chaotic burst of chorus chanting is just the epitome of captivating. The `Switch and Sinden Remix' plays on the Indian influences that are prominent in Santi's exotic voice, but it adds a nice twist with the industrial take of hip-hop beats that just make for a brilliant variation of a brilliant song. `Creator' is very much along these lines of greatness, using fun and unique beats to stir excitement in the listener.



Santi certainly delivers the explosion!



`Say Aha' almost feels like a Sublime song in tone, but there is certainly hip-hop influences that flourish here and there. `L.E.S. Artistes' calls to mind Sting and The Police, and the vocals even remind me a tad of Gwen Stefani. This is certainly a pop inspired track that is destined for radio play, and it shows a more commercial side of Santogold, since the remainder of the album basically throws `commercial' to the wind.



`Shove It' took a while to really grow on me (I initially found the repetitive chorus to be rather annoying) but the blues style jazz flow immediately caught my interest and made me give the song more of my attention. The lyrical message is also quite stirring, and after a few listens it has slowly crept up to the middle of my list. `Unstoppable' can get a little repetitive in parts ("I've got to be unstoppable") but the musical arrangement is so catchy and engaging. `Lights Out' is possibly the only song that hasn't really grown on me. The feel is very different (light girl pop indie rock) and while it's far from a bad song, it just doesn't really mesh with the rest of the album to me and kind of becomes forgettable.



Seriously though...



O

M

G



`I'm a Lady' feels similar in ways to `Lights Out', but it also feels a little more polished. It also feels like it plays to subtle R&B influences that make it feel a little more connected to the album, even though this album is really all over the place when it comes to influences.



Two of the best songs on the album sandwich the one forgettable track (`Lights Out'). `My Superman' and `Starstruck' are just brilliant. I love the mellowed out vibe to `My Superman', an eerie chemistry with the sound coming through from every aching word. This is one of those song that `transports' you to a totally different place. `Starstruck' is similar in tone, playing off of Santi's enticing vocal display. She heightens her pitch and creates her own instrument, complemented by the twitchy beeps and sounds that litter the backing beats.



The album closer (unless you count the remix of `You'll Find A Way' as the closer) is just stunning. `Anne' puts all of the best Santogold has to offer on display, offering a subtle yet absorbing beat laced with enticing vocals and haunting lyrics.



Not since Robyn's self titled mind-blow have I been this completely provoked by a particular album. Sure, there are a few albums that I've reviewed recently that I may prefer overall (V.V. Brown's debut album `Traveling Like the Light' is exceptionally perfect), this is one of the most interesting, experimental and admirable albums I've heard in a long time, and should prove to be a masterful jump off point for this extremely talented artist!



Oh yeah:



1) You'll Find a Way (both versions)

2) Starstruck

3) Creator

4) My Superman

5) Anne

6) Shove It

7) L.E.S. Artistes

8) I'm a Lady

9) Say Aha

10) Unstoppable

11) Lights Out"

Santogold

S. A. Littlejohn | 05/19/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"her style is very different which i love! i'm over hearing the mainstream mess they play on the radio. her style is similar to m.i.a. but much different when she opens her mouth and sings. i think this album is awesome!"