Crayons

Donna Summer

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 2008)
• Original Release Date: May 20, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Burgundy S
• ASIN: B0016B6ZKG
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (170 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,610 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Queen is Back! Legendary singer songwriter Donna Summer is back with her first studio album in 17 years. In the thirty plus years that Donna Summer has been making music she has never confined her artistry to just one genre. Although Donna is, and will always be, "The Queen Of Disco" to many fans, her hits have spanned multiple musical genres from Rock to R&B to Inspirational and of course, Dance.

Summer helped to define the 70's pop music generation and Crayons has all the characteristics that made Donna an icon. Containing a potent mix of the up-tempo tunes and ballads, the new album showcases incredible new material that is written by Donna (who wrote or co-wrote the majority of her hits of the 70's and 80's). Working with Donna were renowned writers and producers including: Greg Kurstin (Lilly Allen, Pink), Danielle Brisebois (Natasha Bedingfield, New Radicals), JR Rotem (Sean Kingston, Rihanna), Evan Bogart (co-writer of Rihanna's smash "SOS" and the son of legendary record executive, Casablanca Records founder and Donna's mentor, Neil Bogart), and Lester Mendez (Shakira, Santana).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Donna Summer's Returned to Reign , May 20, 2008

By	Antoine D. Reid "80sforever" (Durham, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I must say that I was surprised and not expecting this great album from Donna Summer. "Crayons" is not an attempt to recapture the sound and music she's perhaps best known as. This album is meant to stand against big artists of today and to capture the pop/hip-hop/r&b vibe that's popular today. Not only that but after being known as conquering disco, Donna Summer reaches ahead and goes for the club-crowd. Does it work? In all, yes. "Crayons" is fresh, exciting, has funny lyrics, introspective lyrics and outright unapologetic and fun.

You'll like how upbeat the sound and tone of this album is. This is really a club record, testing out different styles (or perhaps crayons). The songs that work the best for me were the title track 'Crayons' that has a Caribbean/island sound and features Ziggy Marley. 'Stamp Your Feet' is a pop/inspirational song where Summers urges her audience to take a stand and to make their voices be heard. 'The Queen is Back' is by far the most fun, with Donna Summer obviously speaking of her return to the scene and not holding back on the 'diva' attitude we'd expect from her. The last track, 'Bring Down the Reign' features a choir of children and Donna Summer putting aside the club-vibe for something epic in sound and pulls off a quite moving song.

What you may not like is the at times over-processed vocals that render her unrecognizable on some tracks. This is the only area of the album that bothers me because so many artists, including Cher, Mariah and Madonna (mentioned in other reviews) have gone this same route as if it's the only way to compete with others in the business. It took away from some songs when I wished we'd hear more of her voice which we know is great and strong enough not to be picked apart by a computer.

In all, a great effort from Donna Summer. I'm sure it'll be one of the albums that'll break out this year to everyone's surprise. Give it a listen, you will not regret it nor will you be wasting any money on purchasing it.

41 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Donna's Best Since 1984, May 30, 2008

By	Jeremy Gloff (Tampa, Fl United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Length:: 3:52 Mins

I am a recording artist/music journalist. Here's my video review of Donna Summer's new Crayons album. Crayons

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Big A*s Sound, June 18, 2008

By	Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Donna Summer's "Crayons" is an amazing return to form by this great singer. "Stamp Your Feet" is perched at #1 in my personal top ten. It's a great track that Donna co-wrote. I haven't seen a lyric sheet, but it sounds like she's singing "Make a big a*s sound!" That's my story & I'm sticking to it. ...Anyway that's what I'm singing as I drive along the road! The title track with Ziggy Marley bounces so joyfully that it's the perfect summer song. I may be wearing out the repeat button on the chorus, "Take a walk on the wild side, Don't be afraid, you could be mine." "The Queen Is Back" sounds like a musical biography referencing her hit "On the Radio," "She walks into the room & everybody knows, it's not a day too soon, she stands & strikes her pose." What a dynamic dramatic track! I also love "Drivin' Down Brazil" with its samba beat and Summer's expressive vocals. Other tracks like the 7-minute "I'm A Fire" and "Science of Love" are also excellent. This is a disc that is sure to be on my "best of 2008" list. Bravo!