Genre is dead in the Spotify age, when we’re all switching from Parisian deep house to grime battles to slacker-punk with barely a crunch in the gears. So it’s about time we had pop stars that reflect it, and Santigold makes a pretty good stab on her third LP. Rendezvous Girl channels Twin Shadow’s 80s glamour, while elsewhere there’s Sky Ferreira-style angsty powerpop, lean-quaffing sad rap, plus a fairly annoying bit of digi-dub in Big Boss Big Time Business. The biggest successes come when she plays the kook, as on overconfidence anthem Can’t Get Enough of Myself, and Banshee, whose cheerleader chants prod you in the ribs until you’re high-kicking with them; both recall late-period Outkast in their candyland bounce. Her duet with ILoveMakonnen, meanwhile, is a lovely opiated lullaby. Tolerance will vary for her reedy and slightly hectoring voice, and there are some this’ll-do melodies with no logic or engine. But she still hints at being the omnivorous pop star we need.
