In the eight years between
Santigold's self-titled debut and
99 Cents, artists who ignored the boundaries between genres -- as well as the mainstream and the underground -- became more fashionable and more commonplace, but Santi White remained in a class of her own. Her wide-ranging mix of new wave, reggae, R&B, synth pop, and more sounds fresher than ever on her third album, in large part because she lets the sense of fun that powered Santogold and the less overtly catchy
Master of My Make-Believe come to the fore. From the album's artfully cheap-looking cover to its music, there's a self-aware playfulness on display; though White depicts herself as a commodity,
99 Cents' pop never feels like a concession or compromise (though she thoroughly dismantles a poseur ex on the excellent final track, "Who I Thought You Were"). Instead, White radiates confidence at every turn, whether balancing self-obsession and self-worth on the cheery album opener "Can't Get Enough of Myself" or valuing herself as a mogul as well as an artist on "Big Boss Big Time Business," which features brash production work from Rostam Batmanglij and
Hit Boy. Indeed, White enlists an all-star cast of indie and pop artists and producers to bring
99 Cents' vision to fruition. The fiery, aptly named "Banshee" features songwriting by veteran hitmaker
Cathy Dennis, production by White's longtime collaborator John Hill, and backing vocals by
Charli XCX, while Swedish pop mastermind Patrik Berger helps "Rendezvous Girl" sound like
a-ha's "Take on Me" several generations later. When White nods to 2010s trends, she does it in ways that feel natural; "Who Be Lovin' Me," a duet with
iLoveMakonnen, fits her quirky but undeniably catchy style just as well as more typically
Santigold tracks like "All I Got." Though
99 Cents is
Santigold's most accessible work yet, it feels like the mainstream meeting White on her terms rather than vice versa, and the results are often irresistible. [
99 Cents was also released on LP.] ~ Heather Phares