Fountain Baby is the second album by the Ghanaian-American singer Amaarae. It was released by Interscope Records on June 9, 2023. The album, released to widespread critical acclaim, was supported by three singles, "Reckless & Sweet", "Co-Star", and "Wasted Eyes".
| Fountain Baby | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 9, 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:33 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Amaarae chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Fountain Baby | ||||
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Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 95/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| And It Don't Stop | A−[6] |
| Clash | 9/10[7] |
| The Daily Telegraph |  [8] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[2] |
| NME | [9] |
| The Observer | [10] |
| Pitchfork | 8.7/10[1] |
Fountain Baby was released to overwhelmingly positive reception. Metacritic, a review aggregator, awarded a score of 95/100 based on eight critic reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[5]
Pitchfork named the record "Best New Music" with Julianne Escobedo Shepherd writing, "The Ghanaian American singer's dazzling second album is a confident and unconventional record that flows, saunters, and boasts its way to one of the best pop albums of the year."[1]
Tarisai Ngangura for NPR enjoyed the variety between songs and was impressed by the cohesive fusion of various genres.[11]
Robert Christgau, reviewing in his "Consumer Guide" column on Substack, appreciated Amaarae's grounded gratitude for the same-sex obsession "she can afford" to have as a successful artist:
Her portion of fame proud and earned, her voice simultaneously fragile and self-possessed, her star-time comforts and advantages acknowledged without vanity or apology, she doesn't so much boast about her crushes, trysts, and conquests as lay them out lubriciously or matter-of-factly as the cherished rewards of a lifestyle I wouldn't be surprised to learn she's exaggerating ... she appreciates what she's got without taking it for granted, and without assuming there are no more chapters to her story.[6]
In September, Rolling Stone listed the album as one of the best albums of 2023 so far.[12]
Year-end lists
edit| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slant | The 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 4
|
|
| The Line of Best Fit | The Line of Best Fit's Albums of the Year 2023 | 5
|
|
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 7
|
|
| NME | NME's Best Albums of 2023 | 8
|
|
| The New Yorker | Amanda Petrusich's Best Albums of 2023 | 9
|
|
| Crack Magazine | The Top 50 Albums of the Year | 11
|
|
| Rolling Stone | The 100 Best Albums of 2023 | 26
|
|
| Exclaim! | Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023 | 43
|
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All My Love" |
|
| 0:43 | |
| 2. | "Angels in Tibet" |
|
|
| 2:23 |
| 3. | "Co-Star" |
|
|
| 2:47 |
| 4. | "Princess Going Digital" |
|
| 3:09 | |
| 5. | "Big Steppa" |
|
|
| 2:57 |
| 6. | "Reckless & Sweet" |
|
|
| 2:40 |
| 7. | "Wasted Eyes" |
|
| 2:29 | |
| 8. | "Counterfeit" |
|
|
| 2:36 |
| 9. | "Disguise" |
|
| 2:50 | |
| 10. | "Sex, Violence, Suicide" |
|
|
| 4:13 |
| 11. | "Sociopathic Dance Queen" |
|
|
| 2:20 |
| 12. | "Aquamarie Luvs Ecstasy" | Genfi |
|
| 4:39 |
| 13. | "Water from Wine" |
|
|
| 2:36 |
| 14. | "Come Home to God" |
|
|
| 3:20 |
| Total length: | 39:33 | ||||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sweeeet" | 1:52 |
| 2. | "Wanted" (featuring Naomi Sharon) | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Jehovah Witness" | 2:17 |
| 4. | "Diamonds" | 2:37 |
| 5. | "This!" | 3:05 |
| 6. | "THUG (Truly Humble Under God)" | 3:53 |
| 7. | "Disguise" (Remix; featuring 6lack) | 2:51 |
| Total length: | 51:11 | |
Notes
- ^[a] signifies an additional producer
- ^[b] signifies a co-producer
- ^[I] "Counterfeit" contains samples of "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)", written by Pharrell Williams, Pusha T, No Malice and Slim Thug, recorded by Clipse featuring Slim Thug.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Shepherd, Julianne (June 12, 2023). "Amaarae: Fountain Baby Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ a b Harmony, A. (June 8, 2023). "Amaarae Is a Clever Alchemist on Fountain Baby". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ "Album Review: Fountain Baby by Amaarae and the Spiritual Opulence of the Club". July 13, 2023. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ "Amaarae - Angels in Tibet (Official Music Video)". YouTube. March 13, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
- ^ a b "Fountain Baby by Amaarae Reviews on Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (August 11, 2023). "Consumer Guide: August, 2023". And It Don't Stop. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (June 13, 2023). "Amaarae – Fountain Baby review". Clash. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ McCormick, Neil; Platt, Poppie; Grant, Kirsten. "Janelle Monáe gets physical, Niall Horan feels the weight of the world – the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Yemi, Christine (June 9, 2023). "Amaarae – Fountain Baby review: electric anthems from a fearless cultural disruptor". NME. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Joshi, Tara (June 12, 2023). "Amaarae: Fountain Baby review – sexy, sparkling dream pop". The Observer. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ Ngangura, Tarisai (June 12, 2023). "A review of Amaarae's second album: 'Fountain Baby'". NPR. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- ^ M. C. (September 1, 2023). "The Best Albums of 2023 So Far". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Slant Staff (December 7, 2023). "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Slant. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "The Line of Best Fit's Albums of the Year 2023". The Line of Best Fit. December 4, 2023. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ Lindert, Hattie (December 5, 2023). "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ "NME's Best Albums of 2023". NME. December 8, 2023. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ Petrusich, Amanda (December 4, 2023). "The Best Music of 2023". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ Ellwood, Maya. "The Top 50 Albums of the Year". Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "The 100 Best Albums of 2023". Rolling Stone. November 30, 2023. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.