Album Review: I Don't Want: The Gold Fire Sessions by Santigold

Ten years since her electric debut, Santigold is back with a collection of light-hearted, yet infectious pop tracks. There is a clear Caribbean influence running through I Don't Want: The Gold Fire Sessions, at times approximating the mainstream dancehall sound that has been conquering the charts as of late, but it's infused with a sense of fun stronger than on anything Major Lazer's come out with in years. Coo Coo Coo opens the album, a ditty about unwanted male attention that has a wistful air to it as Santigold muses on the type of attention she's really after ("I just want some real love, just like on TV / nobody ever, walking by, really looks at me"), and the production adds a moombahton bounce to the catchy tune.

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The Gold Fire Sessions summons the ghosts of dancehall hits. Dub goes well with glossy pop but the combination sometimes resembles the island-inspired singles of more mainstream acts like Major Lazer and PARTYNEXTDOOR. The du jour familiarity of the music might make it seem that Santigold is pulling from a convenience store of readymade cool instead of offering an authentic upgrade on her long-simmering indie signature.

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