I am sad to hear that Donna Summer has died of cancer at 63. Though not a fan of disco, I like her danceable songs, especially “Heaven Knows”. I also like her rock tunes, such as “She Works Hard for the Money”. I liked her 2008 album so much that I choreographed and danced a routine to one of its tracks, an anthem called “Stamp Your Feet”. What I wrote on my blog in August 2008 about what turns out to be her last album:
“The year’s most exciting pop album is Donna Summer’s Crayons, which includes the former disco diva’s varietal takes on reggae, electronic pop and a hypnotically romantic melody, “Sand on My Feet” [written for her husband, Bruce Sudano, who survives her]. The CD is dedicated to Summer’s husband and it features the single, “Stamp Your Feet,” which she performed earlier this year on American Idol. Crayons is an excellent piece of work and you’ll never think of Donna Summer—whose concert I’m attending this weekend—as only a disco diva again. Top tracks: the smooth, sensual “Drivin Down Brazil,” which makes you want to light some candles, the raunchy Tina Turner-esque “Slide Over Backwards,” and the rock-n-roll number “Fame (the Game)” which mocks going Hollywood. Also worth a listen: “Science of Love” and “Be Myself Again”. These songs ought to get a hearing in the nightclubs.”
Rest in peace, Donna Summer.