Bitterblue was her first multi-producer album, with contributions from Dieter Bohlen, Luis Rodríguez, Roy Bittan, David Yorath, Giorgio Moroder and Nik Kershaw.

His songwriting and production work was often credited under the names Howard Houston, Steve Benson and Jennifer Blake.

Tyler claimed that Bohlen chose to disguise his involvement to avoid radio DJs developing preconceptions about the album.

Songs written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren were produced by Roy Bittan at Conway and A&M Studios in Los Angeles.

He opined that her pairing with Giorgio Moroder "[gave] Tyler's work a contemporary sheen that frames her vocals within the songs."

Mureika concluded that Bitterblue is "better than most pop records," but not as strong as her work with Jim Steinman and Desmond Child.