"Bitter" is a song by American singer Chanté Moore. It was written by Moore, Katrina Willis, and Laney Stewart for her fourth studio album Exposed (2000), while production was helmed by the latter. A downtempo song about the pain and anger after a relationship has been shattered by lies,[1] it was released as the album's second single on November 17, 2000. "Bitter" garnered largely positive reviews from music critics and peaked at number 10 on the Adult R&B Songs chart.[2]
| "Bitter" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Chanté Moore | ||||
| from the album Exposed | ||||
| Released | November 17, 2000 | |||
| Length | 3:11 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Stewart | |||
| Chanté Moore singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Bitter" on YouTube | ||||
Background
edit"Bitter" was written by Chanté Moore along with songwriter Katrina Willis, and frequent collaborator Laney Stewart for her fourth studio album Exposed (2000).[3] Production on the track was overseen by Stewart.[3] Moore reportedly recorded the song in one take.[4] In 2013, she commented in an interview: "I was very genuine when I sang that song. I sang it one time through and, burst out laughing at the end and never recorded it again."[4] With the original version making use of the word "Nigga," two further versions with slightly different lyrics were also recorded however.[1]
Critical reception
edit"Bitter" earned largely positive reviews from critics. Chuck Taylor from Billboard called "Bitter" by "far the best song" on its parent album Exposed, citing it as a return to Moore's "signature sound – from the wondrous whispering vocals to the slow, simple music track."[1] Vibe described the song as "a moving testament that invokes Minnie Riperton's phrasings,"[5] while PopMatters editor Charlotte Robinson found that "Bitter" was particularly "great" because it was containing "engaging, unusual lyrics [...] with the music of a sappy love song."[6] Entertainment Weekly's Craig Seymour noted that Moore "forgoes contemporary R&B histrionics on "Bitter," instead dismissing a lover with cool civility."[7] The Morning Call called the song "a brutally frank 'leave me alone' ballad."[8]
Music video
editA music video for "Bitter" was directed by Aaron Courseault.[9] A continuation of the video for "Contagious" (2001), her collaboration with The Isley Brothers, R. Kelly makes a cameo appearance in "Bitter."[9]
Track listings
editUS promo single[10]
- "Bitter" (radio edit) – 3:12
- "Bitter" (LP version) – 3:12
- "Bitter" (instrumental) – 3:12
- "Bitter" (a cappella) – 3:10
Credits and personnel
editCredits lifted from the liner notes of Exposed.[3]
- Malik Crawford – recording
- Kevin "KD" Davis – engineering, mixing
- Chanté Moore – vocals, writer
- Laney Stewart – producer, programming, writer
- Craig Taylor – assistant engineer
- Katrina Willis – writer
Charts
edit| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Adult R&B Songs (Billboard)[11] | 10 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[2] | 55 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Taylor, Chuck (January 27, 2001). "Reviews & Previews: Singles". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ a b "Chante Moore Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ a b c Exposed (booklet). Chanté Moore. MCA Records. 2000.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "Interview: Chanté Moore is more! Talks New Album and New role on TV-One's R& B Diva's LA". thechocolatevoice.com. January 6, 2001. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ "Revolutions". Vibe. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Robinson, Charlotte (November 13, 2000). "Chanté Moore: Exposed". PopMatters. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ Seymour, Craig (November 17, 2000). "Exposed". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ "Exposed". The Morning Call. January 6, 2001. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ a b "Chanté Moore: Bitter (2001 Music Video)". iMDB. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ "Bitter (CD, Single, Promo)". cdandlp.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ "Chante Moore Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2023.