Bittersweet is the tenth studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers. It was released in August 2014 and debuted at No. 2 in Australia, making it her sixth top 5 album in Australia.[1]
| Bittersweet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 August 2014 (Australia) | |||
| Recorded | Australia | |||
| Genre | Country, Pop | |||
| Length | 45:44 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros., Sugar Hill | |||
| Producer | Nick DiDia | |||
| Kasey Chambers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Bittersweet | ||||
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It was the first album of Chambers' not to be produced by her brother Nash Chambers. The album was produced instead by Nick DiDia. Kasey says for this record she needed something different: “I wanted to have an experience making a record that I had never had before. I wanted to challenge myself and I wanted to be excited.” DiDia had previously produced albums for Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Bruce Springsteen, The Wallflowers, The Living End, and Powderfinger.[2]
It is also Chambers' first album since she split from husband Shane Nicholson.
The album won Best Country album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2014 Chambers also received a nomination for Best female artist but lost out to Sia.[3]
Chambers also toured throughout 2014/2015 to support the album.[4]
The album was released in the United States on July 24, 2015 through Sugar Hill Records. She toured the US throughout July and August to support the release.[5]
Critical reception
editChris Familton from The Music AU gave the album 3.5 out of 5, saying: "[The album] finds her canvassing a range of styles and moods, often with religious/biblical references, without sacrificing her heart-on-sleeve emotiveness, innate sense of melody and country heart. Chambers has again come up with a strong batch of songs that give her the opportunity to rewardingly dig into a few vocal corners she hasn’t explored to any great extent on previous albums."[6]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oh Grace" | 4:21 |
| 2. | "Is God Real?" | 3:52 |
| 3. | "Wheelbarrow" (with Ashleigh Dallas) | 3:50 |
| 4. | "I Would Do" | 4:17 |
| 5. | "Hell of a Way to Go" | 3:39 |
| 6. | "House on a Hill" | 3:48 |
| 7. | "Stalker" | 2:42 |
| 8. | "Heaven or Hell" | 3:03 |
| 9. | "Bittersweet" (with Bernard Fanning) | 3:59 |
| 10. | "Too Late to Save Me" | 3:45 |
| 11. | "Christmas Day" | 4:48 |
| 12. | "I'm Alive" | 3:50 |
Personnel
edit- Bernard Fanning – acoustic guitar, backing vocals, harmonica, keyboards, piano
- Dan Kelly – backing vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Kasey Chambers – acoustic guitar, backing vocals, banjo
- Ashleigh Dallas – backing vocals, banjo, fiddle, mandolin
- Matthew Engelbrecht – bass
- Alex Mustakov – design
- Declan Kelly – drums
- Matthew Engelbrecht – flugelhorn
- Steve Smart – mastering
- Nick Didia – mixing
- Declan Kelly – percussion
- Carlotta Moye – photography
- Nick Didia – producer
Charts
editWeekly charts
editBittersweet debuted at No. 2 in Australia on its released in 2014, behind Jimmy Barnes' 30:30 Hindsight. In the US, the album was released in July 2015, and debuted on the Heatseekers Albums chart at No. 24, Folk Albums at No. 23, and Top Country Albums at No. 49, with 800 copies sold in its debut week.[8]
| Chart (2014–15) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] | 2 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[10] | 49 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard)[11] | 23 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[12] | 24 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2014) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Artist Albums Chart[13] | 39 |
| Australian Country Albums Chart[14] | 4 |
| Chart (2015) | Position |
| Australian Country Albums Chart[15] | 48 |
References
edit- ^ "Kasey Chambers". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ "Kasey Chambers Teams With Nick DiDia For Bittersweet". www.noise11.com. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ "2014 ARIA Awards Connected By Telstra | Nominated artists revealed". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 10 March 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
- ^ "Kasey Chambers To Resume Bittersweet Tour In February". www.noise11.com. 16 January 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ "KASEY CHAMBERS ANNOUNCES US RELEASE OF BITTERSWEET, JULY 24". www.sugarhillrecords.com. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ "Kasey Chambers – Bittersweet". the Music AU. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ "Kasey Chambers – Bittersweet". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ Matt Bjorke (4 August 2015). "Country Album Chart Report for August 4, 2015". Roughstock. Sales figure given here
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Kasey Chambers – Bittersweet". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ^ "Kasey Chambers Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ^ "Kasey Chambers Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ^ "Kasey Chambers Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ^ "2014 ARIA AUSTRALIAN ARTIST ALBUMS CHART". ARIA. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ "2014 ARIA Australian Artist ALBUMS CHART". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ^ "2015 ARIA Australian Artist ALBUMS CHART". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 19 January 2020.