Santogold – Self-Titled Album Review

Santi White, better known as Santogold on stage, released her much-anticipated first solo album earlier this year in April. The Philadelphia native had already given her fans a taste of how it would sound the year beforehand, with the singles such as “Creator” and “L.E.S. Artistes” streaming over the internet.

Because of her versatility in creating a different sound that transcends music genres, she has often been compared to M.I.A. Of course, there are plenty of similarities between both artists; mainly the facts that their voices sound almost the same and that they’ve worked with the same people. However,  M.I.A.’s style and lyrics are more of a political and humorous nature, whereas Santogold’s overall theme in her debut album is in regards to self-growth and pride in being a woman.

In my opinion, this self-titled debut is definitely going down as one of the best albums of 2008.  Every song is unique in its’ own way. Her capacity to amalgamate different genres in one puts her in a completely different category compared to other indie artists. Some songs are catchier and more upbeat, such as “Lights Out” and “I’m A Lady”, whereas others are slower and experimental, such as “Starstruck” and “Unstoppable”. In either cases, each song gets the listener tapping their foot or dancing deliriously. The fact of the matter is: Santogold simply cannot be ignored. She demands your attention, whether you like it or not. And sooner rather than later, you will fall under her charm and be playing this album on rotation for a very long while.