You & I (Rita Ora album)

You & I is the third studio album by English singer Rita Ora. It was released on 14 July 2023 through BMG. The album is her first solo studio release since Phoenix (2018). You & I spawned four singles: "You Only Love Me", "Praising You" (featuring Fatboy Slim), "Don't Think Twice" and "Shape of Me" (featuring Keith Urban).

Background and release

I spent such a long time fighting to be heard over the course of my experience being in the industry, that I guess I lost a lot of confidence and a lot of hope, fell really low. And I guess when you’re at your lowest point, you can make a choice. You either kind of get back up and keep going, or you just let it consume you. And I did that. I got up. [...] This album really means a lot to me. It's like my diary of the last few years, it’s my sound and it just feels so true to me and who I am today. I think this record means something different for everyone, but from my perspective, it's about praising your loved ones and really celebrating those relationships.

After the publication of her second studio album Phoenix in 2018, Ora took a recording break, embarking on several television and film projects. In February 2022, Ora signed a record deal with Berlin-based BMG, a deal which gave her ownership of master recordings for her next projects. In April 2023, she announced the release of her third studio album, titled You & I.

Singles

"You Only Love Me" was announced on 11 January as the lead single from the album and released on 27 January 2023. "Praising You" was released on 19 April 2023, as the second single. The song is a re-worked version of Slim's 1998 song "Praise You", and Fatboy Slim is also credited as featured artist on the song, and became a hit song after it was featured in Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. "Don't Think Twice" was released as the album's third single on 30 June 2023.

Critical reception

You & I received a score of 68 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on five critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. Emma Harrison of Clash wrote that the album is Ora's "most exploratory and undoubtedly her finest work so far" with "the trademark sass and joie de vivre throughout, but this feels like a more mature and evolved body of work". Harrison also pointed out that "Rita uses You & I to undertake some serious self-reflection with each track focusing on various aspects" and that it allows her to "shed her skin to show [more] vulnerability and creativity than before".

Hannah Mylrea of Rolling Stone UK wrote that You & I "play[s] it safe" compared to Ora's previous albums, because "too often [...] the tracks wash over you as shiny pop songs that fail to draw intrigue". Helen Brown from The Independent was less impressed by the album, remarking that it is "strong enough to sell well" and although "sweet and ought to let us into the specifics of her world [...] still it feels generic". David Smyth of the Evening Standard wrote that the project "lacks personal touch".

Track listing

Note

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Personnel

Musicians

Rita Ora – lead vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (track 12)
Oak Felder – bass guitar, drum programming (1); keyboards, programming (4, 8, 10, 11)
Keith Sorrells – drum programming, guitar (1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11)
Alex Niceforo – guitar, keyboards, programming (1, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11)
Zaire Koalo – drum programming (1)
Downtown Trevor Brown – guitar, programming (1)
Davide Rossi – string arrangement, strings (1)
Taika Waititi – backing vocals (2)
Jon Shave – additional vocals, keyboards, programming (3)
Karen Poole – additional vocals (3)
Georgia Ku – additional vocals (3)
Serban Cazan – keyboards, programming (3)
Asdis Vioarsdottir – backing vocals (5)
Johannes Burger – drums, keyboards, programming (5)
Kilian Wilke – drums, keyboards, programming (5)
Cirkut – instrumentation, programming (6)
Sorana Păcurar – backing vocals (7)
Yoshi Breen – backing vocals, choir, keyboards, piano, programming, synthesizer (9)
Jason OK – backing vocals, keyboards, piano, programming, synthesizer (9)
Georgia Meek – backing vocals, choir, chorus arrangement (9)
Roland Spreckley – piano (11)
Nick Hahn – bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, programming (12)