Bitter Sweet Love

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = The Irish Times

| rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/review/2024/01/25/james-arthur-bitter-sweet-love-former-x-factor-winner-should-stick-to-the-jaunty-pop/|title=James Arthur: Bitter Sweet Love – Former X Factor winner should stick to the jaunty pop|newspaper=The Irish Times|last=Murphy|first=Lauren |date= January 25, 2024|access-date=September 19, 2024}}

}}

Irish Times writer Lauren Murphy rated the album two and a half stars out of five stars. She noted that "Arthur's soulful husky voice continues to be the main quality that sets him apart from the army of Ed Sheerans in operation, but there is only so far it will take him on his fifth album [...] Hollow sloganeering and hackneyed balladry aside, Arthur is more than capable of churning out a decent, lively pop song. There are just not enough of them here to make a lasting impression." Renowned for Sound described Bitter Sweet Love as "a mixture of some decent, upbeat tracks, a couple of tolerable country-light tracks, and a plethora of entirely adequate, yet instantly forgettable, piano-heavy ballads. The up-tempo tracks demonstrate that Arthur can write good pop songs – without these, this album would have been one long, unendurable ballad."{{cite web|url=https://renownedforsound.com/album-review-james-arthur-bitter-sweet-love/|title=Album Review: James Arthur – Bitter Sweet Love|website=Renowned for Sound|access-date=September 19, 2024}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Bitter Sweet Love track listing

| title1 = Bitter Sweet Love

| writer1 = {{hlist|James Arthur|Steven Solomon|Jamie Graham}}

| length1 = 2:45

| title2 = Free Falling

| writer2 = {{hlist|Arthur|Solomon|Graham}}

| length2 = 2:53

| title3 = Sleepwalking

| writer3 = {{hlist|Arthur|Solomon|Graham}}

| length3 = 3:48

| title4 = Blindside

| writer4 = {{hlist|Arthur|Rick Parkhouse|George Tizzard|Wayne Hector}}

| length4 = 3:32

| title5 = Just Us

| writer5 = {{hlist|Arthur|Solomon|Andrew Jackson}}

| length5 = 3:34

| title6 = Comeback Kid

| writer6 = {{hlist|Arthur|Solomon}}

| length6 = 3:53

| title7 = From the Jump

| writer7 = Arthur

| length7 = 3:51

| title8 = A Year Ago

| writer8 = {{hlist|Arthur|Solomon|Graham}}

| length8 = 2:50

| title9 = Ruthless

| writer9 = {{hlist|Arthur|Solomon|Graham}}

| length9 = 3:12

| title10 = New Generation

| writer10 = {{hlist|Arthur|Solomon}}

| length10 = 2:46

| title11 = My Favourite Pill

| writer11 = {{hlist|Arthur|Solomon}}

| length11 = 3:23

| title12 = Is It Alright?

| writer12 = {{hlist|Arthur|Parkhouse|Tizzard|Hector}}

| length12 = 3:44

| title13 = Homecoming

| writer13 = {{hlist|Arthur|Solomon|Graham}}

| length13 = 2:52

| total_length = 43:03

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = iTunes edition bonus tracks

| title14 = A Year Ago

| note14 = acoustic version

| writer14 = {{hlist|Arthur|Graham|Solomon}}

| length14 = 3:02

| title15 = Blindside

| note15 = acoustic version

| writer15 = {{hlist|Arthur|Hector|Parkhouse|Tizzard}}

| length15 = 3:53

| title16 = Just Us

| note16 = strings version

| writer16 = {{hlist|Arthur|Jackson|Solomon}}

| length16 = 3:34

| total_length = 53:32

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Bitter Sweet Love (Deluxe) - Disc 2

| title1 = A Thousand Years

| writer1 = {{hlist|Christina Perri|David Hodges}}

| length1 = 4:14

| title2 = From the Jump

| note2 = with Kelly Clarkson

| writer2 = Arthur

| length2 = 3:51

| title3 = You're Still the One

| writer3 = {{hlist|Shania Twain|Robert John "Mutt" Lange}}

| length3 = 3:18

| title4 = Sinners

| writer4 = {{hlist|Arthur|Graham|Solomon}}

| length4 = 3:25

| title5 = Brave

| writer5 = {{hlist|Arthur|Sam de Jong}}

| length5 = 3:55

| title6 = Heartbeat

| writer6 = {{hlist|Arthur|Dan Bingham|Solomon}}

| length6 = 3:52

| title7 = Blindside

| note7 = Orchestral Version live from Channel Aid

| writer7 = {{hlist|Arthur|Parkhouse|Tizzard|Hector}}

| length7 = 4:07

| title8 = Bitter Sweet Love

| note8 = Orchestral Version live from Channel Aid

| writer8 = {{hlist|Arthur|Graham|Solomon}}

| length8 = 3:22

}}

Musicians

• James Arthur – vocals (all tracks), felt piano (tracks 2, 5), guitars (4, 8)
• Steven Solomon – guitars, keyboards (tracks 1–11, 13); bass (1, 4–7, 10, 11, 13), programming (1–4, 6–11, 13), Juno bass synthesizer (2, 3, 8, 9), piano (7), felt piano (13)
• Daniel Bingham – drums (tracks 1–11, 13), keyboards (1, 3, 5–11, 13), Juno synthesizer (1–3, 5, 6–9, 11, 13), felt piano (7, 13), upright piano (10), piano (12)
• Pete Whitfield – strings (tracks 2, 3, 5, 12, 13)
• Sarah Brandwood-Spencer – strings (tracks 2, 3, 5, 12, 13)
• Simon Turner – strings (tracks 2, 3, 5, 12, 13)
• Rick Parkhouse – bass, keyboards, programming (tracks 4, 12); guitars (4)
• George Tizzard – bass, keyboards, programming (tracks 4, 12); guitars (4)
• Sarah Dorgan – voicemail vocal (track 6)
• John Dempsy – bass guitar (track 9)

Technical

• Steve Solomon – production (tracks 1–11, 13)
• Red Triangle – production (tracks 4, 12)
• Idania Valencia – mastering (tracks 1–7, 9–13)
• Randy Merrill – mastering (track 8)
• Charlie Holmes – mixing (tracks 1–3, 6, 7, 9–13)
• Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (tracks 4, 5)
• Manny Marroquin – mixing (track 8)
• Chris Galland – mix engineering (track 8)
• Pete Whitfield – string arrangement (tracks 2, 3, 5, 12, 13)
• Daniel Bingham – string arrangement (track 5)
• Matthew Barnes – mixing assistance (tracks 1–3, 6, 7, 9–13)
• Matt Wolach – mixing assistance (tracks 4, 5)
• Ramiro Fernandez-Seoane – mix engineering assistance (track 8)
• John Dempsy – engineering assistance
• Sarah Dorgan – engineering assistance
• Ryan Short – editing assistance

Visuals

• Drinkwater Studio – creative direction, design
• Edward Cooke – photography

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Category:2024 albums

Category:Columbia Records albums

Category:James Arthur albums