Santigold

Philadelphia's singer-songwriter Santogold (born Santi White) emerged with an intelligent and kaleidoscopic album of dance songs Santogold (2008), almost entirely composed and co-produced by John Hill, that runs the gamut from the Britney Spears-esque bubblegum-pop ditty L.E.S. Artistes (co-produced by Jonnie "Most" Davis) to the danceable power-pop of Lights Out. There's a fusion of reggae and house in Shove It (co-produced by David "Switch" Taylor and David "Disco D" Shayman) and there's a fusion of ska and punk-rock in You'll Find a Way (another Most co-production), which sounds like a female-fronted version of Police. She seems to imitate Lady Gaga in My Superman (co-produced with Thomas "Diplo" Pentz of Major Lazer) while in the ebullient and almost hard-rocking Say Aha (co-produced by David "Switch" Taylor) she alternates vocal styles to sound both like Gwen Stefani of No Doubt and a blues shouter.

Renaming herself Santigold, she returned four years later with Master of My Make-Believe (2012), on which Hill's role is much reduced, the spirit is less punk and more dance, and the general feeling is bland rather than eccentric. The best songs are all related to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs: the pounding Go, a collaboration with Karen Orzolek of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, produced by Switch and Kamaal "Q-Tip" Fareed of A Tribe Called Quest and composed by Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and many others; the smash hit Disparate Youth, composed with Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and produced by Ricardo "Ricky Blaze" Johnson; and Fame, composed and produced by Yeah Yeah Yeahs' producer Dave Sitek with the most intricate beat of the album.

After another four-year hiatus, 99c (2016) was assembled by a cast of producers that includes Hill, Sitek, Patrik Berger, Rostam Batmanglij, Martin Stilling, Ian Longwell, Justin Raisen, etc. The result, however, is underwhelming. Outside the War is one of her most best incursions in dub music, and Can’t Get Enough of Myself is the bubblegum-pop ditty du jour, but the rest is mediocre synth-pop balladry like Walking In A Circle.

Six years later, Santigold returned to a bolder hybrid of reggae, punk, soul and electronic dance on Spirituals (2022), including the house-pop of High Priestess and the eerie chant Ain't Ready (the standout). Nothing sounds like Kate Bush coupled with Arca.