Santogold - Some Great Singles, and One of the Best Debut Albums of 2008
Santogold is truly one of the best new alternative albums of 2008. In fact it's probably one of the best new albums in any genre.

It's hard to produce an album of original music, and when a new artist has a debut this strong people should definitely take notice. True, there is nothing that ventures into new territory per se. But in terms of execution, the production, music and vocals add up to a very enjoyable listen.

For those that like female rock vocalists, the lead sounds a lot like the lead from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs except pushed through more synth.

Yes it's true, there is an attempt to mix a blend of musical styles. But I kind of feel like that aspect is over-emphasized from a marketing point of view. The end product here is mostly very good on its own.

I also feel like the whole "she's not just R&B" thing is marketing fluff too. Who listens to this album and hears a pure R&B record??? True, there's a lot of silly groups people get put into in the music business, but that whole stance is both an insult to R&B as well as a distasteful statement on stereotypes. I love R&B as well as many other styles, but if you had your eyes covered and heard her perform you would hear alternative blended with other things but not R&B. You read between the lines on this one.

It's also true that this shares some similarities with certain 80s groups and styles, and the new-wave influence is undeniable. While some of the references are accurate, others seem not to be. I don't think it matters. Everybody will hear different influences because music is often influenced by the past. What matters more to me is that this is a great album that is a great start for Santi White. I want to hear more!

The album starts off very strong, and the first four tracks are potential singles. That is until it hits one of the album's low points in track 4, "Say Aha," which sounds like a cross between the Go-Gos and that overplayed Ketchup Song (Asereje) by Las Ketchup. Definitely poppy, catchy and with a potential audience, but not a track that would have slipped past me on the way through the cutting room.

Tracks 5 and 6 are both mood tracks, good but not great. But "Lights Out" gets the album going again, a great track and one of my favorites. The rest of the album is very strong with a few exceptions. I could have done without the delivery of "Im a Lady," even though it's an ok song. And the final track with the second version of "You'll Find A Way" should also have been cut before the final release. It didn't add much relative to the first album cut. That's just my opinion.

Overall, I guess I like this album because it blends into all the eclectic music I listen to. It's a very good first album and if Santi can continue to expand upon this I expect great albums from her in the future.

I am not always lucky when I buy records "blind" but I struck gold here. The entire team behind this record deserves credit for a top notch product. It's not perfect but it has to go down as one of the strongest debut albums I've heard so far this year.

Check it out.

It's Gold
She does have a likeness to a few other singers(Gwen Stefani, M.I.A., Karen O) but Santi White has a style of her own. I stumbled onto her myspace page about a year ago and Ive enjoyed her music ever since. She is something fresh for the music industry and needs recognition. Favorite songs include, L.E.S. Artistes, You'll Find A Way, Starstruck and Creator. If you want more from Santi, check out her out as the lead singer of the now ended group called Stiffed. They have a cd called "Burned Again".

Great CD
I like all types of music, and this is a good example that there is all types of music out there to explore.

it is gold to me
I had been hearing a bit about Santogold for awhile now and at first wasn't really interested at all. I figured it might another misstep on my part and purchasing something without any knowledge of the artist or style of music.

I went against that and bought Santogold anyway. I'm glad that i did that and the cd throughout it has a different feel to it. It might sound like something folks have heard before, but to me its something a little different and enough so that i am interested and stay that way throughout listening to the cd.

With several key tracks this cd should be on your list of cds to get or at the very least songs that you should check via Itunes or whatever site you might use:

"You'll Find A Way"
"Shove It" feat. Spank Rock
"Say Aha"
"Creator" (vs. Switch and FreQ Nasty)
"Starstruck"
"Unstoppable"
"You'll Find A Way" (Switch & Sundin remix)

The cd is one that really needs to be listened several times to get the full effect and by no means. I'm not saying its the best cd of 2008 or any other title that some like to use for a cd that they really enjoy. But i will say that after a time or two with this cd, you'll wonder why you didn't get it sooner.

Minus the "squeak"
Though slightly more refined and more complex in structure, this band is basically Missing Persons minus the Dale Bozzio "squeaking."

Personally, I revel in the recirculation of musical genres, in this case, '80's music.