Although Donna Summer is best known as a disco icon, her sound spans far beyond beats and bass lines. The title of her new album, “Crayons,” is evocative of all the different hues in her music, whether they be reggae rhythms, rock guitar riffs or Bollywood detours.
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Donna Summers
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Viejas Casino's Concerts in the Park, 5000 Willows Road, Alpine
Tickets: $55-$95
Phone: (619) 445-5400
Online: viejas.com
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Releasing her first collection of original songs in more than a decade, the 59-year-old Boston native debated the title of the album with her record label. She stood her ground, resisting the idea of a more commercial moniker, “The Queen Is Back.”
Summer doesn't think of herself as a queen. She'd rather people see her as a singer-songwriter who explores many genres instead of reigning over one.
Her comeback tour, dubbed “Stamp Your Feet,” features recent and vintage tunes plus costume changes galore and a stage designed to transform with every number. She brings it to Viejas Casino's Concerts in the Park in Alpine Wednesday.
During a phone interview, the choir-trained vocalist talked about coming out of semi-retirement and offered a few dancing tips.
Question: On this tour, would you say there's a conceptual component to the show?
Answer: The songs on the new album are so different from each other, each one has its own identity, so we create different atmospheres. At times, there's a show within a show. I don't want to give too much away, but it's a totally different kind of show than I've done in many years.
Q: The title of the album, “Crayons,” was it something you had in mind for quite some time or did it emerge when you were working on the songs?
A: I was writing with Danielle Brisebois and she said, “We're like crayons melting our talents together.” When she said that, I thought “Crayons,” that's the title of the album. I just started jumping for joy because I had written down a pile of titles that did not apply to the album enough. The people at the record company were like “ 'Crayons?' Why can't we call it the 'The Queen Is Back?' ”
Q: The record label, initially they were interested in having you sing covers of standards on the album. Was it something you dismissed immediately or did you consider going along with them?
A: When they asked me to do standards, they said, “We'll let you do two new songs.” I said, “No, I'm not interested.” I thought once they heard the new songs, they would be OK with the album, they would trust me. It's like, have some respect. I know what I'm doing. If you give me a minute and let me have some space, maybe I can actually still write a song that could be successful.
Q: You should be recognized as a song writer and not just a singer.
A: People are so overshadowed with the singing part, they don't realize that I wrote or co-wrote the songs. They're like, “You write songs?” I'm like, “Yeah, of course.” It's fun because it's like an awakening for them.
Q: Did you ever feel like it was a juxtaposition, your spirituality, your connection with the church, and the sexuality of the music?
A: I felt it after “Love to Love You Baby.” I shouldn't have sung that song. It came out without my knowledge. I was in shock when I heard it because I really did come out of the church, and it was not your basic God song. It's history at this point. It is what it is and I am who I am because of it.
