album review: santigold, master of my make-believe
Since Santigold‘s debut release ‘Santogold’ four years ago, many fans have been eagerly awaiting another album from the genre bending musician. In April this year she answered with ‘Master of My Make Believe’. An album of 11 self-exploring songs in which Santi White attempts to be her own master, but has she succeeded?
Armed with a handful of producers and collaborators at her disposal such as Q-Tip, Switch, Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio), the synth pop collection was conceived. As far as albums go it is definitely a cohesive piece that more or less flows together. Yet unlike her debut, it seems to lack the eclectic mix of genres fused together that somehow worked so well. While her first album followed a creative and slightly ironic theme, sticking it to the man (the man being the pop music industry) while maintaining such a broad appeal, the new record seems to be more of a reflection on our dark society and what happens when we take control of it.
Master of My Make-Believe is filled with boastful drum beats that often overshadow the lyrics and synthesised riffs that begin to sound a little recycled after the first few tracks. None of the songs hold the appeal that previous singles like ‘Creator’ or ‘L.E.S Artistes’ held, and the first release from the album ‘Disparate Youth’ falls short of what fans have come to expect from the Philly native. Despite recently climbing to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro, this latest effort from White feels a lot less adventurous than its predecessor.
The album is certainly not lacking in social commentary, with tracks like ‘Fame’ a clear cut reflection on the struggle between not wanting to conform to the industry and the hunt for fame. White is definitely capable of being a strong female voice within an industry so often dominated by men, but without determining the “angle” she sings about finding in ‘The Riots Gone’, I can’t help but feel her words will get lost within the melodies. The album does hold some catchy tunes in ‘Pirate In The Water’ and ‘Freak Like Me’ that grab attention, but they simply aren’t enough to save it from the fate of becoming background music to my last minute study session.
Other tracks like ‘Look At These Hoes’, which showcases White’s rapping capabilities, feel a little out of place on the album, and quite frankly are a little bit off-putting. Although it does serve as a reminder to why she is so often compared to M.I.A, another artist who’s never afraid to make her listeners a little uncomfortable. There is also a slight Gwen Stefani influence present in some of the songs. Album closer ‘Big Mouth’ could almost be called ‘Creator 2.0’ with its elevated build up to a frenzied chorus where White sings ‘My my my, you’ve said enough.’
One might expect an album with a title like Master of My Make-Believe to offer an eccentric mix of personalities that even Nicki Minaj might be envious of, but sadly Santigold does not deliver on this front. The sophomore release feels a lot safer, and is definitely missing the experimentation of genres that earned White’s debut such critical acclaim. With little difference separating the tracks, I can’t help but feel that maybe Santigold has said all that she has to say.
By Freya Jones
