Crayons
by Donna Summer
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Billboard
    80
    This surprisingly lively set finds the former disco diva teaming with a crew of young collaborators--including Greg Kurstin, Danielle Brisebois, Ziggy Marley, J.R. Rotem and Lester Mendez--for a series of uptempo forays into stomping dance-pop, juke-joint blues-rock, breezy Latin jazz and African-accented soul.
  2. Village Voice
    80
    On Crayons, it’s like no time has passed at all, and of course it hasn't.
  3. PopMatters
    80
    Crayons is a healthy antidote to an industry that loves to package and box artists.
  5. The New York Times
    70
    Crayons, though consistently good-natured and glossily wise about life’s learning curves, isn’t it. It’s a Los Angeles pop record, seemingly made by committee; it has no center.
  6. Hartford Courant
    70
    Some of her tunes are more steady than sizzling, but when she taps into the likes of the soaring, synthesizer-driven 'I'm a Fire,' her smart combination of rich personality and kinetic energy invites a trip to the dance floor.
  7. Vibe
    70
    The disco ball might be unplugged, but Summer still shines. [July 2008, p.61]
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  8. Slant Magazine
    60
    The music is harmlessly listenable, and the requisite nods to her dance-floor legacy, like the sweeping, dramatic house anthem 'I'm a Fire' and the lockstep 'Stamp Your Feet,' are (at the very least) no less opportunistic than the latest albums by Madonna and Janet Jackson.
  9. Q Magazine
    60
    If we forget her Lenny Henry-esque Jamaican accent on the title track's Ziggy Marley duet, she's on sterling form. [Aug 2008, p.143]
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  10. AllMusic
    50
    In-fashion vocal effects, which Summer certainly does not need, detract from a handful of these tracks, but as a whole, the album won't have trouble pleasing fans who just want to hear their queen have a blast and tear it up.
  11. musicOMH.com
    50
    Autobiographical, hopeful, working through different genres, one can't help but feel that if she had stretched herself while remaining focused just on quality dance-pop that the record would have been fantastic and not such a sad sunset on the legendary Summer.
  12. The Guardian
    40
    Most of the cuts on Crayons are adequate, but there is a distinct lack of the unmoored, thrilling sensuality that Summer used to trade in so effortlessly.
  13. NOW Magazine
    40
    Unfortunately Summers’s voice and persona just don’t suit this material.

Awards & Rankings

77
#77 Most Discussed Album of 2008

User Reviews

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User Score
7.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 53 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 53
  3. Negative: 12 out of 53
  1. someonewhocares
    Dec 13, 2022
    9
    This is the very short-lived comeback of Donna Summer, that has since become her most cohesive and most experimental record to date. The albumThis is the very short-lived comeback of Donna Summer, that has since become her most cohesive and most experimental record to date. The album is heavy in fun factor, and its lyricism and vocals are very Summer-esque, making us feel like she never really left for 14 years before releasing this 4 years before her very tragic death in 2012.… Full Review »
  2. FrancoisC.
    Sep 6, 2008
    10
    When the gap between the appreciation by critics and the one by general public is so big, I say to myself that something is wrong... about When the gap between the appreciation by critics and the one by general public is so big, I say to myself that something is wrong... about the critics of course. Donna Summer, like Celine Dion, is the type of artist critics as so scared about saying something good. Do not hesitate a second to get this album. One of the best in 2008 so far.… Full Review »
  3. AjR.
    Jul 12, 2008
    10
    I'm buying this cd no doubt a older and more glamous look i love the new look donna summer given the sucess of the other 1970s I'm buying this cd no doubt a older and more glamous look i love the new look donna summer given the sucess of the other 1970s returning stars she a babe.… Full Review »
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