Few Good Things

''Few Good Things'' is the third studio album by American rapper Saba. It was released through Pivot Gang, LLC on February 4, 2022. The album features guest appearances from Black Thought, G Herbo, Krayzie Bone, 6lack, Smino, Mereba, Fousheé, and Eryn Allen Kane, as well as Pivot Gang. Upon its release, the album was met with critical acclaim for its production and introspective lyrics.

Background

On February 9, 2021, Saba released the eponymous short film directed by C.T. Robert. Saba explained the film in a press release saying:

Promotion and singles

Throughout 2020 and 2021, Saba released many promotional singles, including "Ziplock", "Rich Don't Stop", "Mrs. Whoever", "Something in the Water", "So and So", and "Are You Down". On November 4, 2021, Saba announced his-then upcoming third studio album, titled ''Few Good Things'', and released the album first single, called "Fearmonger". On November 18, he released the album second single, titled "Stop That". On January 13, 2022, he released the album third single, "Come My Way" (featuring Krayzie Bone). The album fourth and final single, "Survivor's Guilt" (featuring G Herbo), was released on January 27.

Critical reception

Upon its release, ''Few Good Things'' was met with widespread critical acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 83, based on 6 reviews. Kyann-Sian Williams of ''NME'' gave the album 5 out of 5 stars saying "On this record, Saba expertly blends the whimsical and spiritual nature of soul music with GOAT-level penmanship reminiscent of the conscious rap of yesteryear. The result is a glorious neo-rap sound. It doesn't quite fit in with his contemporaries' party music, and he's not always as crafty and traditional as hip-hop, so rappers like Saba often stay on the wayside, delivering absolute perfection without many accolades. That would be a shame, as this is an album at a divine level."

'' Consequence'' wrote that "''Few Good Things'' builds on Saba's quest to just live life while acknowledging that's a loaded proposition at times. It's hard telling someone else to pull themselves up by their bootstraps when they don't even have a boot, when there are fewer straps upon which to tug. Saba lives with that feeling every day, doing his best to enjoy the fruits of his labor, help as many as he can, and not get depressed knowing he can't save everyone." Jayson Greene of ''Pitchfork'' wrote about the production from Saba, daedaePIVOT, and Daoud saying "As the trio has forged their sound, Saba's flow has softened and turned more melodic. He works best when his voice is another instrument in the mix, freely mixing up registers between melody and rhythm."

Track listing

Note
* signifies an additional producer.

Personnel

Musicians

* Saba – vocals (all tracks), drum programming (tracks 3, 4, 7, 11, 12, 14), electric guitar (4), bass (9)
* Daoud – synthesizers (tracks 1, 3–6, 9–13), keyboards (1–3, 5, 6, 9–14), additional vocals (1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12–14), acoustic guitar (1, 12, 14), electric guitar (2, 5–7, 9, 12, 13), bass (2, 5–7, 9, 14), percussion (2, 5), piano (7), drum programming (9, 12)
* daedaePIVOT – drum programming (tracks 1–7, 9–11, 14), additional vocals (2, 9), acoustic guitar (2), percussion (5)
* Cheflee – bass, electric guitar (tracks 1, 14); drums (1)
* Brandon Farmer – drums (track 1), additional drums (14)
* Phoelix – additional vocals (tracks 7, 9), bass (9)
* Day Wave – electric guitar (track 7)
* Monte Booker – drum programming, keyboards, synthesizer (track 8)
* Jacob Rochester – drums (track 8)
* Nascent – drum programming (track 13)

Technical
* Joe LaPorta – mastering
* Papi Beatz – mixing
* Saba – engineering (tracks 1–6, 8, 10–14), additional mixing (all tracks)
* Daoud – engineering (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 9, 12–14), string arrangements (1, 2, 9, 12, 14), additional mixing (all tracks)
* Hope Brush – engineering (tracks 3, 5, 10)
* Rudyard Lee Cullers – engineering (tracks 4, 8–10, 12, 14)
* Josh Berg – engineering (tracks 6, 7)
* 6lack – engineering (track 7)
* Smino – engineering (track 7)
* Jared "JT" Gagarin – engineering (track 7)
* Frsh Waters – engineering (track 9)
* daedaePIVOT – additional mixing

Visuals
* C.T. Robert – creative direction
* Dawit N.M. – photography
* Ruben Rodriguez – graphic design

Charts

References

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2022 albums
Saba (rapper) albums
Midwest hip-hop albums
Hip-hop albums by American artists