Donna Summer - Crayons
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Donna SummerEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2008-05-20
Music Label: Burgundy S
Soundtracks:
- Stamp Your Feet
- Mr. Music
- Crayons featuring Ziggy Marley
- The Queen is Back
- Fame(The Game)
- Sand On My Feet
- Drivin' Down Brazil
- I'm A Fire
- Slide Over Backwards
- Science of Love
- Be Myself Again
- Bring Down The Reign
Free Music Notes for Crayons
Free Music Review: Donna's many colors create one strong album
Hit: 5 Stars
Some might make the arguement that early on, Donna Summer was a producers muse and a voice for Girgio Moroder (as well as co-wrtier/co-producer Pete Belotte) to use in order to release eclectic and sometimes electronic based music. Prehaps that was true in the very beginning but overtime, as a co-writer and powerful vocalist, Donna certainly put a very feminine and personal stamp on all of her albums, starting most strikingly with "Four Seasons Of Love" and continuing on to the blockbuster "Bad Girls" and until their last release as a team misunderstood (excluding "I'm A Rainbow") but brilliant new wave effort "The Wanderer".
Now, in 2008, Donna once again finds the right balance between working with producers with unique ideas and being her own singer-songwriter on "Crayons". It is hard not to take notice of the producers (and co-writers) here since more often than not, they seem to make their impression known on the tracks. The best at just making strong pop songs with Donna, though, are Greg Kurstin and Danielle Brisebois. "Stamp Your Feet" is a positive upbeat pop track with good hooks and is a perfect place for Donna's voice to belt out. It's anthem like feel never feels phony, either. She is really rooting for you! Nor does Donna's strange "accent" on "Crayons" with Ziggy Marley. This blasting Reagee pop track has a catchy chorus and is very danceable. Donna and Ziggy Marley make a memorable well paced piece of music that blasts with positivity and a strong message about working toward "one love" and letting the "crayons" melt into one beautiful color. The Brazilian pop of "Drivin' Down Brazil", with its fun story, is strong as well. It has a nice feel of the Jobim songs she references.
Not such a dream team is JR Rotem (with co-writing help from Evan Borgrat....Yep, the son of Neil Bograt, who used to be the head of Donna's seventies label, Casablanca). "Mr. Music" is a very simple upbeat pop song and does have a memorable chorus that would suit TV commercials...but it suffers from dull hip-hop beats and is dragged down by it's simplicity and silliness and in the moment product placement ("Got My Ipod/Shake My Body"). Donna doesn't quite rap on "The Queen Is Back', but it's a strange boost track (that starts in third person narration talking about "she" and switches to first without explination) that once again is dragged down by dull big beats and sound effects. They are not terrible songs but feel like an attempt to be modern yet sound very dated and childish. It's not like she is trying to be Britney, even...it's more like trying to be safe and Disney!
Sebastian Arocha Morton is the mastermind along with Al Kasha as a songwriter behind "I'm A Fire", which is Donna's sweet spot, comfort zone, whatever. It's what you want and expect from someone who stopped making albums but continued to crank out strong club singles (including remixes of pop ballads like the Pokemon based "Power Of One"...or an upbeat makeover on the Luther original of a similar title, "Power Of Love"). A chanting, catchy almost minimalist dance track that allows the "queen" to be a force of nature. Here, we believe in her over the top claim and she truly is a fire. It's worth looking for the import or the exclusive edition (sold at another...the initials are CC) to find the similar sounding track "It's Only Love" (by the same team). It's not as well structured as a song and sort of just floats as a free form poem that just rants yet it's a beautiful trip! It's Donna that is probably the reason for the differences in the tracks; the music is very similar, so it is the songwriting and performance that makes them very unique. Even though "I'm A Fire" only takes up one track, you can understand her reasoning for not making a full album like this.
Toby Gad is a good contributor, too. "Fame (The Game)" combines rock licks and stomping dance beats for a song that describes the quest for fame but unlike songs by young starlets, it's not whinning but wise and introspective (talking about the movies that portrayed beauty queens like Marylin). "Science of Love" has a bit of a rock feel, too. It's a very well paced pop track that really understands good songwriting and Donna's vocals are impressive here as she travels through melody of the track. Tony Gad also produces to the light pop ballad "Sand On My Feet". This track flows and is romantic (the only song from the set were get a love song form the First Lady Of Love). It has some slightly akward lyrics, though.
Nathan DiGreise, a producer/co-writer from Donna's recent past, brings us the most controversial track. "Slide Over Backwards" seems like it would be the basic club stomper but in fact is a funky, rocky blues based character driven piece where Donna tells a story through the created "Hattie Mae Blanche Dubios". It sounds laughable on the surface but much like with "Crayons" (the title track) and her adopting of a Jamaican (?) accent there, it manages to work. What Donna lacks in authenticity in the "character", she makes up with sincerity. She seems to really get into it and the funky, rollicking vocals of Donna (along with sister Mary Gaines Bernard) have fun with this track.
Also contributing one track is Lester Menedez (producer/co-writer) with Wayne Hector. It's a simple but hauntingly personal ballad titled "Be Myself Again", which also centers around fame. It's a letdown lyrically to her Donna just bemoan fame and talk about how hard it is to be herself again and not the character. While the lyrics are a bit of a drag, its her voice and how it shifts that sells the song.
Jamie Houston produces/co-writes (with co-writer Fred Kron) the world beat driven gospel infused "Bring Down the Reign". This song is not over the top but a subtle song about the terrors in Darfur that works with with drum beats, a children's choir and Donna's combination of strong vocals, spoken word and chanting. It's a great powerful way to end a CD that has three songs about Donna's issues (good and bad) with being famous and shows a real social conscious.
While there are some questionable moments in songs, every track works in its own way with songs like "Stamp Your Feet", "I'm A Fire", "Crayons" and "Science of Love" being dance pop classics, "Slide Over Backwards" is a fun experiment from the usual to even "The Queen Is Back" as a passable attempt to be modern. "Crayons", for an album that tries to be made up of different styles by using different producers, never sounds desperate. Donna works with fine people but notice there aren't any million dollar names here that could garunatee a hit single. She clicks with every person in some way (I would say Greg and Danielle the best). The album altogether is a welcome return not being a queen of the clubs but to making great albums, which is something Donna did for many years, with or without hit results. Hopefully the public will pick up on "Crayons" and hear an album by an artist that is often fun, sometimes introspective and compassionate about the outside world that has nothing to do with fame.
Crayons Poster
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).
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