New Music Reviews - Home of DJ Willis

“Blog-browsing hipsters have been hearing about this 32-year-old New Yorker since her single “Creator,” with its post-M.I.A. electro-pop vibe, began burning up the Internet last year. Listeners with longer memories might remember Santi White (who records as Santogold) from her stint fronting Stiffed, a short-lived East Coast soul-punk band, or from her writing/producing gig on “How I Do,” the sadly slept-on debut by Philly-based R&B singer Res. On her self-titled solo bow—which features collaborations with Diplo, Spank Rock and Switch—Santogold pours all that experience into a bracingly eclectic set full of fuzzy New Wave synths, sticky avant-soul melodies, busted-laptop beats and sing-song vocal chants inherited from the likes of Neneh Cherry and Björk. If you’ve managed to avoid her until now, you won’t be able to for much longer.—Mikael Wood”