Fountain Baby

Fountain Baby
A woman wearing a white dress being sprayed by shower water
Studio album by
Amaarae
ReleasedJune 9, 2023
Genre
Length39:33
LabelInterscope
Amaarae chronology
The Angel You Don't Know
(2020) 		Fountain Baby
(2023)
Singles from Fountain Baby
  1. "Reckless & Sweet"
    Released: March 17, 2023
  2. "Co-Star"
    Released: May 3, 2023
  3. "Wasted Eyes"
    Released: June 9, 2023
  4. "Angels in Tibet"
    Released: March 13, 2024[4]
  5. "Sweeeet"
    Released: June 24, 2024

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".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic95/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
And It Don't StopA−[6]
Clash9/10[7]
The Daily Telegraph[8]
Exclaim!8/10[2]
NME[9]
The Observer[10]
Pitchfork8.7/10[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

Select year-end rankings of Fountain Baby
Publication List Rank Ref.
Slant The 50 Best Albums of 2023
4
[13]
The Line of Best Fit The Line of Best Fit's Albums of the Year 2023
5
[14]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2023
7
[15]
NME NME's Best Albums of 2023
8
[16]
The New Yorker Amanda Petrusich's Best Albums of 2023
9
[17]
Crack Magazine The Top 50 Albums of the Year
11
[18]
Rolling Stone The 100 Best Albums of 2023
26
[19]
Exclaim! Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023
43
[20]

Track listing

Fountain Baby track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
1."All My Love" 
  • Kyu Steed
  • Leonardo Dessi
  • Steed
  • Dessi
0:43
2."Angels in Tibet"
  • Amaarae
  • Noah Glassman
  • Ayodeji "Cracker Mallo" Olowu
  • Kwame "KZ Didit" Kwei-Armah
  • Steed
  • Amaarae
  • Cracker Mallo
  • KZ Didit
  • Steed
2:23
3."Co-Star"
  • Genfi
  • Tanner
  • Amaarae
  • Steed
  • Dessi
  • Oliver "Cadenza" Rodigan
  • Tanner
  • Kwei-Armah
  • Amaarae
  • Steed
  • Dessi
  • Oliver "Cadenza" Rodigan
  • KZ Didit
2:47
4."Princess Going Digital"
  • Genfi
  • Tanner
  • Amaarae
  • Steed
  • Tochi Bedford
  • Kwei-Armah
  • Amaarae
  • Bedford
  • Steed[a]
  • KZ Didit[a]
3:09
5."Big Steppa"
  • Genfi
  • Tanner
  • Amaarae
  • Dessi
  • Ed Thomas
  • Tom Levesque
  • Kwei-Armah
  • Amaarae
  • Dessi
  • Ed Thomas
  • Tom Levesque
  • KZ Didit
2:57
6."Reckless & Sweet"
  • Genfi
  • Tanner
  • Amaarae
  • Alex Goldblatt
  • Rodigan
  • Kwei-Armah
  • Amaarae
  • Goldblatt
  • Cadenza
  • KZ Didit
  • Yves Rothman[a]
2:40
7."Wasted Eyes"
2:29
8."Counterfeit"
  • Genfi
  • Tanner
  • Olujuwon Prudholme
  • Amaarae
  • KZ Didit
  • Steed
2:36
9."Disguise"
  • Genfi
  • Tanner
  • Amaarae
  • Steed
  • Olowu
  • Perman
  • Onuoha
  • Kwei-Armah
  • Amaarae
  • KZ Didit
  • Steed
  • Cracker Mallo
  • Rothman[a]
  • Stype[a]
2:50
10."Sex, Violence, Suicide"
  • Genfi
  • Tanner
  • Onuoha
  • Amaarae
  • Dream Wife
  • Geo Jordan
  • Bedford
  • Rothman[b]
4:13
11."Sociopathic Dance Queen"
  • Genfi
  • Tanner
  • Amaarae
  • Steed
  • Dessi
  • Kwei-Armah
  • Amaarae
  • Steed
  • Dessi
  • KZ Didit
  • Rothman
2:20
12."Aquamarie Luvs Ecstasy"Genfi
  • Amaarae
  • Levesque
  • Glassman
  • Rayan El-Hussein Goufar
  • Malik "Venna" Venner
  • Kwei-Armah
  • Amaarae
  • Steed
  • KZ Didit
  • Rothman
4:39
13."Water from Wine"
  • Genfi
  • Tanner
  • Amaarae
  • Steed
  • Olowu
  • Kwei-Armah
  • Amaarae
  • KZ Didit
  • Steed
  • Cracker Mallo
  • Cadenza[a]
2:36
14."Come Home to God"
  • Genfi
  • Tanner
  • Amaarae
  • Rothman
  • Christian Gregory
  • Michael "Quinn" Walford-Williams
  • Amaarae
  • Rothman
  • Gregory
3:20
Total length:39:33
Roses are Red, Tears are Blue — A Fountain Baby Extended Play track listing
No.TitleLength
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

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b Harmony, A. (June 8, 2023). "Amaarae Is a Clever Alchemist on Fountain Baby". Exclaim!. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ "Amaarae - Angels in Tibet (Official Music Video)". YouTube. March 13, 2024. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Fountain Baby by Amaarae Reviews on Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (June 13, 2023). "Amaarae – Fountain Baby review". Clash. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Yemi, Christine (June 9, 2023). "Amaarae – Fountain Baby review: electric anthems from a fearless cultural disruptor". NME. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  10. ^ Joshi, Tara (June 12, 2023). "Amaarae: Fountain Baby review – sexy, sparkling dream pop". The Observer. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Slant Staff (December 7, 2023). "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Slant. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  14. ^ "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.
  15. ^ Lindert, Hattie (December 5, 2023). "The 50 Best Albums of 2023". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  16. ^ "NME's Best Albums of 2023". NME. December 8, 2023. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Ellwood, Maya. "The Top 50 Albums of the Year". Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  19. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of 2023". Rolling Stone. November 30, 2023. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  20. ^ "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.