Few Good Things - Saba: Review
Saba
is a Chicago rapper who made his name off of jazz rap with a heavy focus on narrative lyricism and a reserved performance style. He has an impressive list of collaborations including Noname, Smino, Chance The Rapper and his own group Pivot Gang who released their debut album as a collective back in 2019. Few Good Things follows Saba's breakout project, the critically derisive CARE FOR ME from 2018.
Review By Lav:
That introduction saying that CARE FOR ME is derisive is no joke, I was there. When I published a very positive review of the album I had people in my Twitter DMs saying all kinds of shit about my "chops" as a rap critic for liking the project. But you also don't have to look hard to find a very devoted fanbase who have been patiently awaiting a follow-up. I wasn't sure exactly how to feel going into this record because I certainly believe in Saba's level of talent, but I was mixed on the singles and even some of the features I've heard from him in recent years. Ultimately my hesitation wasn't for nothing, as there are certainly some tracks here that aren't up to snuff, but for the most part Saba continues to be not only one of the most purely talented artists in hip hop but one of the most creative.
Let's get some of the negative stuff out of the way starting with something nitpicky, but honest. I'm not crazy about any of the interludes and shorter songs here. While this album certainly has thematic touchstones I wouldn't call it directly conceptual and it makes the records introduction, interlude and some of the transitional moments at the end of songs a bit tedious. Stop That was an underwhelming single from last year that I was honestly surprised to even see in the tracklist. It is so average by hip hop standards that it feels like something that any regular old rapper well below Saba's talent level would make.
This record has quite a few features and while some of them make for great highlights that isn't always the case. Still sports two of the records more high profile features from 6LACK and Smino but the song itself never really translates. 6LACK's hook is fine but not memorable in any way and Smino's verse weirdly sounds like Mac Miller, none of it adds up to a great tune. The other feature I was most excited for was Benjamin Earl Turner on If I Had A Dollar because I still love reminiscing on his brilliant performance on the last Noname album. Unfortunately the hook on the song is rough and while Saba does have an impressive flow he isn't saying nearly as much here as he does on other tracks. Benjamin's verse is fine but far from one of the best I've ever heard from him and it doesn't save the track.
There's only one song on the record that I think is outright bad and even then I can see what Saba was going for. I think it's cool that he sings a number of hooks on the record and it normally goes over pretty well but on A Simpler Time it's a total disaster. His voice sounds so thin and awkward on the hook while also getting completely overwhelmed by the drums and no other part of the track is nearly good enough to save it.
But that's it, not only do I think everything else on the record is good, I think it's really good. Once you get past the intro track the record gets off to a really strong start. One Way has a really interesting fuzzy beat with backing chimes. Sava handles the entire song vocally and shows off an impressive amount of versatility between his flow switch-ups and his singing, an element of the music that is great throughout most of the album. Survivor's Guilt comes next and while I was a little iffy about it at first it's grown on me more and more every time I hear it. I love the group chanting on the hook and the dark rumbling beat is the perfect accompaniment. Even G Herbo who I'm usually not crazy about delivers a solid verse on the song. More than anything I'm impressed with the outside the box thinking and sound of the track.
Fearmonger doesn't sound like anything I expected to hear with a wavy almost tropical beat that feels borrowed from some bouncy 80's pop tune. Saba actually fits really well on the song as he muses over the status he has in hop hop and his own nervous feelings regarding his longevity. The only thing I don't love about the track is the pitched down vocals on the hook but otherwise I really enjoy it. Come My Way is another single I wasn't crazy about and even if it isn't one of my favorite songs on the record I have come around to it a bit. Most of that has to do with the simple but really enjoyable hook that I guarantee will get stuck in your head. The very forward verses on the song remind me of Saba's last record and while I still don't care much for the feature on the back end of the song it doesn't ruin it for me.
Soldier features some contributions from Pivot Gang members and they definitely add up to a highlight track. The stark jazz rap instrumental and Saba's sick flows and Kendrick-esque cadence work perfectly. The group vocals and second verse on the track go great with the sound it establishes and I've enjoyed it from the very first time I heard it. Make Believe starts off a fantastic finishing sequence to the record that really leans into his most intimate and personal style of songwriting. The opening verse follows a voicemail from Saba's own mother and results in one of the most confessional songs on the entire record but it also feels very cathartic once he declares to his mom that he's made it. The back half of the song is a bit of a formless extended outro but at the very least I think Foushee does a great job closing the song out.
2012 is the type of sonically reserved and narratively heavy song that would have fit in on Care For Me. He does this type of track so well painting such vivid nostalgia and portraying the past as such an innocent time while the turbulent future hanging over him it still felt. Not to discredit the ways that he has advanced his sound since his last record, but this is probably the albums biggest individual achievement. Close behind however is Few Good Things, the 7 minute closing track to the album delivered in three very distinct sections. The first features a stark drum passage and confidently delivered verse from Saba where he once again sings the accompanying hook and does a great job with background vocals that add quite a bit. The middle of the song features an absolutely cutthroat Black Thought verse that sees him actually kind of blending his style to match what Saba does best and still sounding great while doing it. And it all ends off on a thematically grand lyrical assault with observations centered around race historically and Saba's own racial identity. It's an ambitious undertaking that really does manage to be a grand finale for the record.
Few Good Things isn't perfect and I'm not quite as enamored with it as I was Saba's last record, but seeing him continue to push his sound and style into new directions is extremely satisfying. Not only does he live up to some of the things we knew he could do well, but proved his ability in brand new directions with the most obvious being improved singing vocals on these hooks. When he really digs into a story or owns his own vulnerabilities he displays exactly what makes him special as a rapper and an artist. When all is said and done this may not be a revolutionary rap record but I liked a lot more of it than I didn't and I suspect it'll hold up to many of the other rap albums coming out this year. 7/10
I really like this cover. It has depth, personality, texture and the colors are very much in line with what is currently trendy. The layers of focus that you get in the photo are great and I love how they draw your eye to the subject. It's a little bottom heavy but luckily the top is quite airy. Overall I really enjoy it. 7.5/10
For more hip hop check out my review of the new Cordae album From A Birds Eye View here
