This Time I'll Be Sweeter

This Time I'll Be Sweeter is a soul ballad written by Haras Fyre (professionally known as Pat Grant) and Gwen Guthrie.

In her autobiography Dancing in the Street Martha Reeves states she made the first recording of the song but the first evident release was a version by Linda Lewis which appeared on the 1975 album Not a Little Girl Anymore. However speculated, one of the songwriters Haras Fyre (also a bassist on several of the song's original versions) says it was Marlena Shaw who made the first recording in 1974 although her version was not released until 1976. Lewis' track - whose background vocalists included Gwen Guthrie - was released as the album's lead single in the US ; belatedly issued in the UK in September 1976 as the follow-up to Lewis hit "Baby I'm Yours", "This Time I'll Be Sweeter" just missed the UK Top 50 peaking at #51. The track did afford Lewis a hit in Brazil ranking at #65 on that nation's ranking of the Top 100 singles for the year 1976.

Martha Reeves' version appeared on her Rest of My Life album released in 1976; her version shared the producers of Lewis' track: Bert De Coteaux and Tony Silvester who were also responsible for Marlena Shaw's 1974 recording on the 1976 album Just a Matter of Time.

"This Time I'll Be Sweeter" was recorded by Roberta Flack for her 1977 release Blue Lights in the Basement to which Gwen Guthrie contributed background vocals.

The song had its highest profile incarnation as the debut single for Angela Bofill; taken off the Angie album, the track - which feature Gwen Guthrie on background vocals - being released November 21 1978. "This Time I'll Be Sweeter" reached #23 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and although Bofill would score higher on that chart with subsequent singles "This Time I'll Be Sweeter" remained her only single to approach the Billboard Hot 100, bubbling under at #104. Bofill's live version of the song is featured on her 2006 Live from Manila concert album.

Deniece Williams - who with Gwen Guthrie sang back-up on the 1975 Linda Lewis version - recorded "This Time I'll Be Sweeter" for her 2007 album Love, Niecy Style.

Overall there are more than eighty recorded versions of "This Time I'll Be Sweeter" including those by Wendy Alleyne, Teresa Carpio, Sharon Cuneta, Isaac Hayes, La India ("Te daré dulzura"), AC Kelly, Maysa, Kevin McCord, Tillie Moreno, Buddy Montgomery, Nia Peeples and Jack Radics.

American R&B Jazz Singer Will Downing also covered the song in 2011.

The song "This Time I'll be Sweeter" was also covered by the Philippines' Ultimate Champion Rachelle Ann Go as her carrier single in the album Rachelle Ann Falling In Love released by Viva Records.