Crayons (album)

Crayons
Studio album by Donna Summer
Released May 20, 2008 (2008-05-20)
(See release history)
Recorded 2006—08
Genre Pop, Rock, Dance-Pop, Hip Hop, Bossa Nova, Jazz, Blues, New-age, World
Length 50:18
Label Burgundy
Producer Nathan DiGesare, Toby Gad, Jamie Houston, Greg Kurstin, Lester Mendez, Sebastian Morton, J.R. Rotem
Donna Summer chronology
Gold
(2005)
Crayons
(2008)
Singles from Crayons
  1. "I'm a Fire"
    Released: March 11, 2008
  2. "Stamp Your Feet"
    Released: April 15, 2008
  3. "It's Only Love"
    Released: August 5, 2008 (US)
  4. "Fame (The Game)"
    Released: November 19, 2008
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic66/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
BBC(favorable) [3]
Billboard(positive) [4]
Boston HeraldB [5]
Canoe.ca[6]
Digital Spy[7]
The Guardian[8]
Okayplayer(78/100)[9]
Slant[10]

Crayons is the sixteenth and final studio album by American singer Donna Summer. Released in May 2008 through Sony Burgundy in the United States, it was her first album of original material since 1994's Christmas Spirit and 1991's Mistaken Identity. This was Donna's last album released before her death on May 17, 2012.

Overview

Recorded over a period of two years since signing with the Sony Music label's Burgundy Records label in 2006, Crayons marked Summer's first full-length studio album in fourteen years since 1994's Christmas Spirit, and her first album of original material since 1991's Mistaken Identity. She worked on the album with a number of different producers and songwriters including Greg Kurstin, Danielle Brisebois, J. R. Rotem, Wayne Hector, Toby Gad, Lester Mendez and Evan Bogart, the son of Summer's former record label boss at Casablanca Records, Neil Bogart.

The album debuted at #17 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart, which was also its peak. Despite a high debut position, the disc fell completely off the chart in five short weeks. The title track is a duet with reggae artist Ziggy Marley. The album's first official single, "Stamp Your Feet", was released to radio on April 15, 2008. A follow-up, "I'm a Fire", reached number-one on the Billboard dance/club chart, giving Summer her 13th number-one hit on that chart. Summer recorded four music videos: "Stamp Your Feet", "Mr. Music", "The Queen is Back", and "Fame (The Game)".

When commenting on the album, Summer explains, "I wanted this album to have a lot of different directions on it," says Donna. "I did not want it to be any one baby. I just wanted it to be a sampler of flavors and influences from all over the world. There's a touch of this, a little smidgeon of that, a dash of something else...like when you're cooking."

Summer wrote "The Queen Is Back" and "Mr. Music" with Jonathan "J.R." Rotem and Evan Bogart, whose father, Casablanca Records boss Neil Bogart died from cancer at the age of 39. He signed Summer to his Casblanca Records in 1975 and released some of her biggest albums and singles during the 1970s. "I adored him and would have given up everything for him to be alive," says Summer, remembering a time in the 70s "when the nail person didn't show up and Neil got on his knees and did my toenails. In many ways he was my mentor and I didn't get to say goodbye to him." When Summer met Evan Bogart, she was struck by his uncanny resemblance to his label executive father. "It's almost like they chiseled him out of his father," Summer observed. "I'm in the studio looking at him and I get tears in my eyes, he has no idea why. I just wanted to hug him because it's like I'm seeing someone I haven't seen since his father passed away. It's almost like Neil is looking at me through him. Evan and I hit it off immediately; there was a synergy that happened really quickly." "The Queen is Back" samples "Lose Control" by Kevin Federline. Both songs are produced by J. R. Rotem.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Stamp Your Feet"  Danielle Brisebois, Greg Kurstin, Donna SummerKurstin[11] 3:52
2. "Mr. Music"  Evan Bogart, J. R. Rotem, Summer, Meredith WillsonRotem 3:14
3. "Crayons" (featuring Ziggy Marley)Brisebois, Kurstin, Marley, SummerKurstin 3:21
4. "The Queen Is Back"  Bogart, Rotem, SummerRotem 3:27
5. "Fame (The Game)"  Toby Gad, SummerGad 4:03
6. "Sand on My Feet"  Gad, SummerGad 3:51
7. "Drivin' Down Brazil"  Brisebois, Kurstin, SummerKurstin 4:43
8. "I'm a Fire"  Al Kasha, Sebastian Arocha Morton, SummerMorton 7:11
9. "Slide Over Backwards"  Nathan DiGesare, Jakob Petren, SummerDiGesare 4:10
10. "Science of Love"  Gad, SummerGad 3:48
11. "Be Myself Again"  Wayne Hector, Lester Mendez, SummerMendez 4:19
12. "Bring Down the Reign"  Jamie Houston, Fred Kron, SummerHouston 4:33

Title 13 (bonus track) Ribbons | Writer 13 = Kron, Summer, Coleman, Grant

Chart performance

Chart (2008)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 20017[12]
UK Albums Chart142
Germany 73[13]
Spain 97
Switzerland 85

Release history

RegionDate
United StatesMay 20, 2008
Canada
DenmarkMay 26, 2008
GermanyJune 6, 2008
AustraliaJune 7, 2008[14]
FranceJune 9, 2008
SpainJune 10, 2008
BrazilJune 16, 2008
United KingdomJune 23, 2008
JapanJune 25, 2008

References

  1. http://www.metacritic.com/music/crayons/donna-summer
  2. Kellman, Andy. "Crayons > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  3. Easlea, Daryl. "Crayons > Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  4. Wood, Mikael. "Crayons > Review". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  5. Katz, Larry. "Crayons > Review". Boston Herald. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  6. Campbell, Stephane. "Crayons > Review". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  7. Levine, Nick. "Crayons > Review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  8. Macpherson, Alex (2008-06-20). "Crayons > Review". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  9. Book, John. "Crayons > Review". Okayplayer. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  10. Henderson, Eric. "Crayons > Review". Slant. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  11. "2000 and beyond". The Totally Unauthorized Donna Summer Tribute. Retrieved 2008-04-24.
  12. "Donna Summer > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
  13. "GER Charts > Donna Summer". Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2012-02-07.
  14. Moran, Jonathon (May 25, 2008). Donna Summer's Back. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on May 25, 2008.
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