The Beat Surrender

We really have been blessed this year with albums from some fresh exciting female talents, which should at least mean that the Brit Awards next year won’t be the usual Annie Lennox, PJ Harvey, Amy Winehouse and Beverly Knight competition in the British Female category.

We’ve had great albums from (deep breath) Duffy, Laura Marling, Nathalie Nahai, Adele and Beth Rowley that i’ve really enjoyed, there of course have been others as well, it’s not an exhaustive list. Likewise in the International female category we should at least have some interesting entries that will see the likes of Kylie and Bjork (I know there is nothing wrong with either of them) ousted in favour of my chosen winner (yes the entries are closed already in my eyes)...Santogold.

Santogold has of course been picking up plaudits for a while for her self-titled debut album, the NME loved her, which did make me initially suspicious, but two great singles and me not being sent the album to review meant I had to do the unthinkable…I had to go out and buy it from one of those record shop style things.

I am so glad I did as well, it’s got a freshness to it that comes from it being taken in so many different directions, yet somehow still pulling off the feat of being a seamless listen, each track has it’s own funky edge to it, be it the ballad like I’m A Lady to the acid electro of Creator, in many ways she comes over as a female Prince (in his younger brilliant days not his later slightly mental days).

Her finest moment is still for me the album opener L.E.S. Artistes, it’s a brilliantly savvy track with a very cool bassline and a vocal that knows it’s the dogs bollocks. The track though isn’t head and shoulders above the rest of the album which tells you plenty about the overall quality. Say Aha is a rousing electro rocker, You’ll Find A Way is a blondie-esque new wave effort that is so cool it hurts and Shove It has a ska come reggae feel to it.

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