Santogold is the self-titled debut studio album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 alternative

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 artist Santigold (real name Santi White, who performed under the moniker Santogold at the time of the album's release). The album was released on April 29, 2008 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and May 12 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, on Downtown Records

Downtown Records

Downtown Records is a record label owned and operated by Downtown Music LLC. Music on the Downtown label is distributed by Universal Music's Fontana Distribution and, for certain releases, as a joint venture with Atlantic Records and also for select releases, by Alternative Distribution Alliance...

 and Atlantic Records

Atlantic Records

Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...

, respectively.

Blending a variety of musical genres ranging from new wave

New Wave music

New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 to alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 and reggae

Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...

, the album was very well-received by critics upon release and was noted for its "cross-genre confidence". It earned multiple spots on 'top albums of the year' lists from major music periodicals such as NME

NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

, Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

, and Spin,
and was positively compared to the likes of several other artists, including Debbie Harry

Debbie Harry

Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...

, The Pixies, M.I.A.

M.I.A. (artist)

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...

, Goldfrapp

Goldfrapp

Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....

, The Go-Go's

The Go-Go's

The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....

, Joe Strummer

Joe Strummer

John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...

, and The Slits

The Slits

The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...

. White, who was admittedly influenced by '80s new wave rock, based the music of "My Superman" from the song "Red Light

Kaleidoscope (Siouxsie album)

Kaleidoscope is the third studio album by English post-punk band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released in 1980. Following the departure of two band members, the band regrouped and redirected their sound for their third record. Departing from their previous work, the Banshees incorporated synthesizers...

" by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

The album spawned four singles, most notably "L.E.S. Artistes

L.E.S. Artistes

"L.E.S. Artistes" is the second single by American artist Santigold, and along with "Creator", the first to be taken from her self-titled debut Santogold .- Background :...

" and "Creator

Creator (song)

"Creator" is the debut single by American artist Santogold , and along with "L.E.S. Artistes", the first to be taken from her then self-titled debut Santogold...

", and features appearances and/or production work from Bad Brains

Bad Brains

Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...

' Chuck Treece

Chuck Treece

Chuck "Chuck" Treece is a session musician and professional skateboarder from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His credits include starting the 1980s skate punk band McRad, remixing songs for Amy Grant and Sting, playing the bass line on "The River of Dreams" by Billy Joel, filling in on drums at a...

, Clifford Pusey of Steel Pulse

Steel Pulse

Steel Pulse is a roots reggae musical band. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, in Birmingham, England, composed of David Hinds , Basil Gabbidon , and Ronald McQueen .-History:...

, Diplo, Disco D

Disco D

David Aaron Shayman, better known by his stage name Disco D , was an American record producer and composer. He started as a teenage DJ in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he helped DJ Godfather popularize the Detroit electronic music called "Ghettotech"...

, Freq Nasty, Spank Rock

Spank Rock

Spank Rock is an American hip-hop group consisting of rapper Naeem Juwan and producer Alex Epton . Their style is generally described as a mix of underground alternative rap and electro and rock.- Biography :...

, Radioclit, Sinden

The Count and Sinden

The Count & Sinden is a UK club/house duo from London formed in 2008 consisting of Joshua "Hervé" Harvey and Sinden. They released their debut single "Beeper" featuring American female rapper Kid Sister...

, Switch, and Trouble Andrew. In addition to vocals, Santi White played guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

 and keyboard

Musical keyboard

A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...

 on several songs on the album. The music video for the album's lead single, "L.E.S. Artistes", is an homage

Homage

Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....

 to the 1973 Alejandro Jodorowsky

Alejandro Jodorowsky

Alejandro Jodorowsky Prullansky, known as Alejandro Jodorowsky, is a Chilean filmmaker, playwright, actor, author, comic book writer and spiritual guru...

 art film

Art film

An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...

, The Holy Mountain.

Background

Santogold's goal of the album was to "help break down boundaries and genre classifications" and show that she wasn't just "a black woman singing R&B." "The cool thing is that I was able to work with all these genres that are typically sub-cultural, like dub

Dub music

Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...

 or punk or something, and then, by writing in a way that had hooks, made it accessible to everyone."
When Santigold had signed to Atlantic Records

Atlantic Records

Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...

, the album was "pretty much done and they already loved it. They asked me not to change anything on it." The writing and recording process took eight weeks. Santigold had tried to work with her friend Mark Ronson

Mark Ronson

Mark Daniel Ronson is an English DJ, guitarist, music producer, artist and co-founder of Allido Records. He currently works with his band under the music alias of Mark Ronson & The Business Intl....

, whom she collaborated with for his album Version

Version (album)

-iTunes digital edition:-Japanese CD edition:-Chart performance:-Release history:-External links:* at MetaCritic...

, but "it wasn't possible timing-wise."

Critical reception

According to review aggregator

Review aggregator

A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services . This system stores the reviews and then uses them for purposes such as: creating a website for users to view the reviews, selling information to third parties about consumer tendencies and creating databases for...

 Metacritic

Metacritic

Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...

, Santogold has been received positively, with a score of 77%. The album was given four out of five stars by Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

, saying that Santogold "mixes dub

Dub music

Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...

, electronic

Electronic music

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...

 and new wave

New Wave music

New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 for one of the year's most unique debuts." The Hartford Courant agreed, continuing that no songs are alike, "yet they fit together to form a cohesive whole". PopMatters

PopMatters

PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...

 opined that "if this is the struggles of urban artists, [Santigold's] anthems ensure that starving will never go out of style." Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

 also gave the album an A-. "The album is hardly flawless, but in an era that retro-fetishizes rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 and whitewashed pop

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

, Santogold feels both raw and real." NME

NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

 felt the album "reveals a glittery crazy-paved path towards a brave new musical future." However, Drowned in Sound

Drowned in Sound

DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...

 stated that "Tunes-wise there's some strength in depth here but it's telling that, in spite of the lip service being paid to various left-of-centre influences, Santogold feels a strangely conservative listen, in danger of satisfying neither fans of wild stylistic forays nor the bubblegum masses thirsting after their latest dose of content-free self-assertion." The album was made #39 in Q

Q (magazine)

Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...

s 50 Best Albums of the Year 2008. Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

 placed the album at #6 on the 50 Best Albums of 2008 list. The magazine also placed "L.E.S. Artistes

L.E.S. Artistes

"L.E.S. Artistes" is the second single by American artist Santigold, and along with "Creator", the first to be taken from her self-titled debut Santogold .- Background :...

" at #2 on the 100 Best Singles of 2008 list. Although Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

 gave the album an initial review of 7.1/10, the site later named Santogold the 22nd best album of 2008.

Track listing

#	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Featured guest(s)	Time
1	"L.E.S. Artistes L.E.S. Artistes "L.E.S. Artistes" is the second single by American artist Santigold, and along with "Creator", the first to be taken from her self-titled debut Santogold .- Background :... "	S. White, J. Hill	Jonnie "Most" Davis, J. Hill, S. White	-	3:24
2	"You'll Find a Way"	S. White, J. Hill, C. Feinstein	Jonnie "Most" Davis, J. Hill, S. White, Switch	-	3:00
3	"Shove It"	S. White, J. Hill,, N. Juwan Spank Rock Spank Rock is an American hip-hop group consisting of rapper Naeem Juwan and producer Alex Epton . Their style is generally described as a mix of underground alternative rap and electro and rock.- Biography :... , D. Shayman Disco D David Aaron Shayman, better known by his stage name Disco D , was an American record producer and composer. He started as a teenage DJ in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he helped DJ Godfather popularize the Detroit electronic music called "Ghettotech"...	J. Hill, Disco D Disco D David Aaron Shayman, better known by his stage name Disco D , was an American record producer and composer. He started as a teenage DJ in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he helped DJ Godfather popularize the Detroit electronic music called "Ghettotech"... , S. White, Switch	Spank Rock Spank Rock Spank Rock is an American hip-hop group consisting of rapper Naeem Juwan and producer Alex Epton . Their style is generally described as a mix of underground alternative rap and electro and rock.- Biography :...	3:46
4	"Say Aha Say Aha "Say Aha" is the fourth single by American artist Santigold, taken from her previously self-titled debut Santogold.-Release and reception:... "	S. White, J. Hill	J. Hill, S. White, Switch	-	3:35
5	"Creator Creator (song) "Creator" is the debut single by American artist Santogold , and along with "L.E.S. Artistes", the first to be taken from her then self-titled debut Santogold... "	S. White, D. Taylor, D. McFayden	Switch, Freq Nasty	vs. Switch Freq Nasty	3:33
6	"My Superman"	S. White, J. Hill, W. Pentz, Siouxsie and the Banshees,	J. Hill, Diplo	-	3:00
7	"Lights Out Lights Out (Santogold song) "Lights Out" is the third single by American artist Santogold , taken from her self-titled debut Santogold .-Release and reception:... "	S. White, J. Hill, C. Feinstein	J. Hill, S. White	-	3:12
8	"Starstruck"	S. White, J. Hill	J. Hill, Switch, Diplo	-	3:54
9	"Unstoppable"	S. White, W. Pentz	Diplo, J. Hill	-	3:32
10	"I'm a Lady"	S. White, J. Hill, C. Feinstein, T. Andrew	J. Hill, S. White	Trouble Andrew	3:43
11	"Anne"	S. White, J. Hill, D. Taylor	J. Hill, S. White, Switch	-	3:28
12	"You'll Find a Way"(Switch & Sinden remix)	S. White, J. Hill, C. Feinstein	Switch, Sinden The Count and Sinden The Count & Sinden is a UK club/house duo from London formed in 2008 consisting of Joshua "Hervé" Harvey and Sinden. They released their debut single "Beeper" featuring American female rapper Kid Sister...	-	3:12
13	"Your Voice" (Japan CD bonus track)	S. White, C. Pusey, M. Schleck, C. Treece	J. Hill, S. White	-	3:58
14	"L.E.S. Artistes"(Switch remix) (Japan CD bonus track)	S. White, J. Hill	Switch	-	5:14

• The US CD version of "Anne" fades out at 3:28, while the international version runs 3:43 and is a slightly alternate mix
• The Japan CD contains two bonus tracks: "Your Voice" & "L.E.S. Artistes (Switch Remix)"; it also features the 3:43 version of "Anne"

Charts and certifications

Chart (2007)	Peak position	Certification
Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts...	25
Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top...	34
French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...	110
Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...	45
UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...	26	Silver
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...  Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...	74
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...  Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...  Top Electronic Albums Top Electronic Albums Dance/Electronic Albums is a music chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the top-selling electronic music albums in the United States. The chart debuted on the issue dated June 30, 2001. It originally began as a fifteen-position chart and has since expanded to twenty-five...	2
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...  Billboard Independent Albums Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels...	6

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Catalog #
United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	April 29, 2008	Downtown Records Downtown Records Downtown Records is a record label owned and operated by Downtown Music LLC. Music on the Downtown label is distributed by Universal Music's Fontana Distribution and, for certain releases, as a joint venture with Atlantic Records and also for select releases, by Alternative Distribution Alliance...	70034
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...	May 12, 2008	Atlantic Records Atlantic Records Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...	5144283082
Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...	September 16, 2008	Warner Music Canada Warner Music Canada Warner Music Canada is the Canadian division of Warner Music Group. The label previously operated as WEA Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of WEA International, which later changed its name to Warner Music International in 1990. It was founded in 1967 as Warner Reprise Canada Ltd...	2934058

Personnel

• Vocals – Santi White
• Featured vocalists – Spank Rock
  Spank Rock
  Spank Rock is an American hip-hop group consisting of rapper Naeem Juwan and producer Alex Epton . Their style is generally described as a mix of underground alternative rap and electro and rock.- Biography :...
  
  , Trouble Andrew
• Bass – John Hill
  John Hill (producer)
  John Graham Hill is an American record producer, songwriter, remixer and musician.-Selected Discography:Hill's discography to date includes -* Rihanna* Shakira* M.I.A.* Christina Aguilera* Santigold* Natasha Bedingfield...
  
  
• Guitar – Chris Feinstein, J. Salomao, John Hill
  John Hill (producer)
  John Graham Hill is an American record producer, songwriter, remixer and musician.-Selected Discography:Hill's discography to date includes -* Rihanna* Shakira* M.I.A.* Christina Aguilera* Santigold* Natasha Bedingfield...
  
  , Santi White
• Horns – Alfonzo Hunter, K. Louis, L. Benjamin
• Keyboards – Alex Lipsen, John Morrical, John Hill
  John Hill (producer)
  John Graham Hill is an American record producer, songwriter, remixer and musician.-Selected Discography:Hill's discography to date includes -* Rihanna* Shakira* M.I.A.* Christina Aguilera* Santigold* Natasha Bedingfield...
  
  , Santi White
• Organ – John Morrical
• Percussion – Chuck Treece
  Chuck Treece
  Chuck "Chuck" Treece is a session musician and professional skateboarder from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His credits include starting the 1980s skate punk band McRad, remixing songs for Amy Grant and Sting, playing the bass line on "The River of Dreams" by Billy Joel, filling in on drums at a...
  
  , M. Dilan

Production

• Executive Producer: John Hill
  John Hill (producer)
  John Graham Hill is an American record producer, songwriter, remixer and musician.-Selected Discography:Hill's discography to date includes -* Rihanna* Shakira* M.I.A.* Christina Aguilera* Santigold* Natasha Bedingfield...
  
  , Santi White
• Producers:
  • John Hill
    John Hill (producer)
    John Graham Hill is an American record producer, songwriter, remixer and musician.-Selected Discography:Hill's discography to date includes -* Rihanna* Shakira* M.I.A.* Christina Aguilera* Santigold* Natasha Bedingfield...
    
     (tracks 1-4, 6-11)
  • Santi White (tracks 1-4, 7, 10, 11)
  • Diplo (tracks 6, 8, 9)
  • Disco D
    Disco D
    David Aaron Shayman, better known by his stage name Disco D , was an American record producer and composer. He started as a teenage DJ in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he helped DJ Godfather popularize the Detroit electronic music called "Ghettotech"...
    
     (track 3)
  • Freq Nasty (track 5)
  • Jonnie "Most" Davis (tracks 1, 2)
  • Switch (tracks 2-5, 8, 11, 12)
• Mastering: Ted Jensen
• Programming: Disco D, Dr. Israel, John Hill
  John Hill (producer)
  John Graham Hill is an American record producer, songwriter, remixer and musician.-Selected Discography:Hill's discography to date includes -* Rihanna* Shakira* M.I.A.* Christina Aguilera* Santigold* Natasha Bedingfield...
  
  
• Artwork by: Isabelle Lumpkin