Santogold, Santogold

Santogold has a storied industry pedigree — she worked in A&R for a major label; helped write and produce an ambitious pop soul album by Res; and sang (as a no-name, no less) on a big collection of covers by Mark Ronson — but the savviest of her many charms is the way she sounds a bit strange, clumsy and even awkward on her solo debut. That's not a knock against her; it just goes to show how much Santogold changes shape and how little she can be sized up as an obvious heir to M.I.A. Certainly songs like “Creator” pick up on M.I.A.'s beloved stomp-and-toast vocals and polyglot sci-fi world sound, but just as much of Santogold swings at hooky reggae, gothy balladry and even snappy indie-rock.

“L.E.S. Artistes” makes the moody range known from the start, with smeared guitars and vocal moves straight out of mid-tempo Yeah Yeah Yeahs before “You'll Find a Way” wanders into sharp, sawing reggae of the kind reconfigured by the Clash. That's just in the span of two songs, and swerves of the sort are standard. Graced by the odder quirks of Santogold's nasal voice, “Say Aha” suggests M.I.A. fronting a gypsy-rock band like Gogol Bordello. Which, of course, has nothing to do with the affecting Siouxsie & the Banshees-like sulk of “My Superman” or the homey indie-rock crunch of “Lights Out.”

Or does it? The one main drawback of Santogold is how little it communicates a clear sense of identity that might be carried over into a career. But then, it does an awfully good job of making the question of what comes next a fun one to mull.