Fountain Baby
Fountain Baby is the second album by the Ghanaian-American singer Amaarae. It was released by Interscope Records on June 9, 2023. The album was supported by two singles, "Reckless & Sweet" and "Co-Star". The album was released to rave reviews.
| Fountain Baby | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 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
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 95/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| And It Don't Stop | A–[4] |
| Clash | 9/10[5] |
| The Daily Telegraph | |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[2] |
| NME | |
| The Observer | |
| 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".[3]
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.[9]
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.[4]
In September, Rolling Stone listed the album as one of the best albums of 2023 so far.[10]
Track listing
| No. | Title | 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" | 4:39 |
| 13. | "Water from Wine" | 2:36 |
| 14. | "Come Home to God" | 3:20 |
| Total length: | 39:33 | |
References
- Shepherd, Julianne (June 12, 2023). "Amaarae: Fountain Baby Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- Harmony, A. (June 8, 2023). "Amaarae Is a Clever Alchemist on Fountain Baby". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- "Fountain Baby by Amaarae Reviews on Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- Christgau, Robert (August 11, 2023). "Consumer Guide: August, 2023". And It Don't Stop. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- Hussain, Shahzaib (June 13, 2023). "Amaarae – Fountain Baby review". Clash. 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. 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. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
