Fountain Baby — Amaarae
I love the artistic display of growth from an artiste over the years. This display shows dedication to their art and a type of fluidity which they permit themselves to experience while creating. In her sophomore album, the singer perfectly documents her artistic processes that entail raw detailing and delicate execution to bring about its realization.
Simply referring to ‘Fountain Baby’ as an ‘Afropop’ album feels unfitting for the masterpiece, which I refer to as an ‘alternative Afro-fusion’ album. Amaarae proves through the 14 tracklist that sounds of different origins can be mixed and married in a vulnerable yet bold way to aid the storytelling of an album. With songs like ‘Waste Eyes’ and ‘Counterfeit’ looming with sounds of Japanese folk and ‘Sex, Violence, suicide’ with its punk rock and soul influences, it is no doubt that this project is one made during an experimental period in the creative life of Amaarae. This act of honesty is seen and appreciated by everyone who has dived into the orgasmic pool that is this album.
Amaarae curated this album with deep emotions that carry an air of both precision and nonchalance depicted through the sultry flow of her vocals with the mixture of intentional lyrics to execute the storytelling of a woman swimming in luxury while experiencing the highs, lows and in-betweens of her interpersonal relationship, affected by various factors and actions she admits to permitting or having no total control over. The album is a party of love, glamour, consequence, seduction, and desire. The collection of writers on this album is spectacular, having respected names in the industry; Pharrell Williams, Pheelz, No Malice and Pusha T, to mention a few.
Sonically, It is safe to say ‘Fountain Baby’ is Amaarae’s best album yet when examining the detail paid into production. From the balance in tempo to the creamy mix of her vocals and different musical techniques all come together to create this no-feature album giving it a pumping feel where even the slowest/saddest songs possess a rhythm you cannot help moving your body to. Adding to the seamless rhythm are the subtle transitions within and between tracks like ‘Sex, Violence, Suicide’ which switches tempo midway or with “Wasted Eyes” and “Counterfeit” perfectly syncing into each other.
With her subtle glazed and airy vocals making her a signature force in the alte music scene, there has never been a doubt of her commendable breath and vocal control recognised since the release of “Passionfruit Summers’, her debut EP. Arguably, this album will go down as one of her best vocally, simply because of how relaxed and in sync she seems to be during the performance of each song. As yall know, I like to rank my top 5 best songs vocally on the album, this was a hard one, to be honest, but here you go:
- Disguise
- Wasted eyes
- Angel’s Tibet
- Sex, Violence, suicide
- Aquamarie luvs Ecstasy
I cannot think of a better time for this thought-provoking and socially challenging album to be released other than during pride month. She said “Happy pride” to women loving women only and I am living for it! This album is top 5 on my 2023 list and I believe is a strong contender for an ‘Album of the Year’ award. Have you listened to ‘Fountain Baby’? Let me know your favourite track below.
Thank you for reading.
