The Afterlove
Studio album by
James Blunt
Released24 March 2017
RecordedSeptember 2016 – January 2017
GenrePop, Dance
Length36:31
LabelAtlantic UK
Producer
James Blunt chronology
Moon Landing
(2013) 		The Afterlove
(2017) 		Once Upon a Mind
(2019)
Singles from The Afterlove
  1. "Love Me Better"
    Released: 27 January 2017
  2. "Bartender"
    Released: 10 March 2017

The Afterlove is the fifth studio album by the English singer James Blunt, released on 24 March 2017 through Atlantic Records.[1][2] To promote the album, Blunt embarked on The Afterlove World Tour in August 2017.

Background

On 23 January 2017, Blunt posted a video clip on his Twitter to announce the album, with the caption "Check out my 12 inch..." In the clip, Blunt appeared naked from the waist up in his bathtub, promising to show fans "something huge", with the camera then panning down to him holding a 12-inch copy of the album.[3] Blunt recorded the album between 2015 and 2016 before it was finished in early 2017.[4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic54/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Financial Times[7]
The Guardian[8]
The Irish Times[9]
London Evening Standard[10]
The Times[11]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, The Afterlove received an average score of 54 based on 4 reviews.[5] Neil Z. Yeung from AllMusic gave the album a positive four-star review, writing: "The Afterlove is a brave bid for contemporary relevance in 2017, a wonderful step outside his [Blunt's] comfort zone that is more memorable and exciting than much of his output this decade."[6] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney from the Financial Times gave a positive three-star review and called the songs "carefully structured", with "appealing melodies, on-trend chart pop production and A-list collaborators (including Sheeran) [that] attest to Blunt's musical staying power."[7]

Richard Godwin of the London Evening Standard gave a mixed two-star review, summarising that "[t]he self-deprecating singer songwriter has not lost his way with sentiment" and that the album "finds the former soldier renovating his balladry by means of an R'n'B filter and a few tricks learned from his label-mate: judicious use of auto-tune, choppy guitar grooves and disarming honesty." Godwin also called "Bartender" "catchier than the common cold."[10] Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian gave a negative two-star review, calling the album "[s]lightly desperate and actively risible." Although labelling the lyrics "inoffensive", Aroesti went on to write: "with Blunt having adopted a watered-down version of Justin Bieber's asinine tropical house it smacks of a desire to edge on to Radio 1 playlists and into student nights incognito, but only serves to highlight how irritating the sound has become."[8]

Singles

The first single from the album, "Love Me Better", debuted at number 93 on the UK Singles Chart.[12] The second single, "Bartender", was released on 10 March 2017 along with an accompanying music video.[13]

Promotional singles

"Time of Our Lives" was released on 14 February 2017 as a promotional single for Valentine's Day.[14] This was followed by the release of "Make Me Better" on 2 March 2017.[15]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Love Me Better"
  • Tedder
  • Skelton
3:38
2."Bartender"Blunt, Teddy Geiger, Steph Jones, Daniel ParkerTeddy Geiger, Daniel Parker3:13
3."Lose My Number"Blunt, Tedder, SkeltonTedder, Skelton3:28
4."Don't Give Me Those Eyes"Blunt, Maureen McDonald, Stephan MoccioStephan Moccio3:44
5."Someone Singing Along"Blunt, Steve Robson, Emily WarrenSteve Robson3:33
6."California"Blunt, McDonald, MoccioMoccio, Jay Paul Bicknell (additional prod.)3:20
7."Make Me Better"Blunt, Johnny McDaid, Ed SheeranSheeran3:52
8."Time of Our Lives"Blunt, Sheeran, TedderAndrew DeRoberts, Tedder4:30
9."Heartbeat"Blunt, Robson, Dewain WhitmoreRobson3:21
10."Paradise"Blunt, Amy WadgeMartin Terefe3:32
Extended version bonus tracks[16]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
11."Courtney's Song"Blunt, McDaidTerefe4:26
12."2005"Blunt, Steve Mac, WadgeTerefe4:05
13."Over"Blunt, Parker, John Geiger IIGeiger, Parker4:14
14."Love Me Better" (music video) (iTunes version only)  3:40
15."OK" (Robin Schulz featuring James Blunt)Blunt, Robin Schulz, Mac, MoZellaSchulz3:09

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Milton, Jamie (24 January 2017). "Ed Sheeran has written songs for the new James Blunt album". NME. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  2. ^ "The Afterlove by James Blunt". iTunes. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  3. ^ James Blunt [@JamesBlunt] (23 January 2017). "Check out my 12 inch…" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 March 2017 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ Starkey, Adam (23 January 2017). "James Blunt announces new album The Afterlove from his bath in hilarious video". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Reviews for The Afterlove". Metacritic. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b Yeung, Neil Z. Thomas. "James Blunt – The Afterlove". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  7. ^ a b Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (25 March 2017). "James Blunt: The Afterlove — 'carefully structured'". Financial Times. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  8. ^ a b Aroesti, Rachel (23 March 2017). "James Blunt: The AfterLove review – slightly desperate and actively risible". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  9. ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony (23 March 2017). "James Blunt is back with The Afterlove and resistance is futile". The Irish Times. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  10. ^ a b Godwin, Richard (24 March 2017). "James Blunt – The Afterlove review: 'renovated balladry'". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  11. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (24 March 2017). "Pop: James Blunt: The Afterlove". The Times. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  12. ^ "James Blunt | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  13. ^ James Blunt (10 March 2017). "James Blunt - Bartender [Official Video]". Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  14. ^ James Blunt (14 February 2017). "James Blunt - Time Of Our Lives [Official Snippet]". Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  15. ^ "Listen to James Blunt's new track 'Make Me Better' written with Ed Sheeran - NME". NME. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  16. ^ "The Afterlove (Extended Version) by James Blunt". iTunes. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  17. ^ "Australiancharts.com – James Blunt – The Afterlove". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  18. ^ "Austriancharts.at – James Blunt – The Afterlove" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – James Blunt – The Afterlove" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – James Blunt – The Afterlove" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  21. ^ "James Blunt Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  22. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – James Blunt – The Afterlove" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  23. ^ "Lescharts.com – James Blunt – The Afterlove". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  24. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – James Blunt – The Afterlove" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  25. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2017. 13. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  26. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 31 March 2017". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  27. ^ "Italiancharts.com – James Blunt – The Afterlove". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  28. ^ "Charts.nz – James Blunt – The Afterlove". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  29. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  30. ^ "Top 100 Álbumes — Semana 13: del 24.03.2017 al 30.03.2017" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  31. ^ "Swisscharts.com – James Blunt – The Afterlove". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  32. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  33. ^ "James Blunt Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  34. ^ "James Blunt Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  35. ^ "ARIA End of Year Albums 2017". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  36. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2017". Ultratop. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  37. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade Alben 2017 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  38. ^ "British album certifications – James Blunt – The Afterlove". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
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