Music Review: Santigold

Philadelphia-born Santigold, who grew up listening to her parents reggae records and visiting Jamaica, has lobbed a breezy dancehall flare into the middle of the northern summer. 

The Gold Fire Sessions unites 10 feather-light tracks featuring syncopation and keyboard bubbles.

The songs crossfade into one another as though a DJ-ed party were going on.

More than any particular dancehall artist per se, it’s a blithe and poppy set that recalls the innocent lilt of Lily Allen’s first album, cut through with the considerations of an industry veteran trying to keep her art valid.

Although nothing is exactly under-produced, the governing principle remains loose.

It might be a case of the right set at the right time. 

• Santigold. I Don’t Want: The Gold Fire Sessions. Downtown.

• ★★★ (out of five)

— Kitty Empire  /GuardianNews&Media

Add a Comment