'The queen is back," Donna Summer sings on her first album of new material in 17 years.
Don't interpret that lyric -- and the song of the same name -- as a diva turn by the queen of disco.
"When I first came up with the title, I ran it by some people around me because I was concerned that people might take it the wrong way," said Summer, who will come back to Mystic Lake Casino tonight. "There was definitely a bit of tongue in cheek to the whole concept. And I think that's how everybody pretty much is taking it. I'm having fun with myself."
Her new CD, "Crayons," has already delivered two No. 1 dance hits, "Stamp Your Feet" and "I'm on Fire," but it is boldly eclectic -- from samba and reggae to gospel and R&B.
The musical variety is more reflective of her "personal creativity" than directions from her record label, Summer, 59, said recently from her Nashville home. "The world is so diverse now."
She chose the title "Crayons" to reflect her approach to making the album.
"When you get your first box of crayons, your mom gives you some paper and you start drawing and after a few seconds, you notice something that you've never noticed before -- a big white wall that has your name on it, it's your birthright," she explained. "You are free to be the artist that is in you. That's how I approached this album, with that kind of childish abandon, not having any real rules and not imposing any upon myself. I just wanted to see where my music would take me, and that's where I went. The only criteria I had is that every song had to be a different direction."
Material from "Crayons" will color half of tonight's concert, which excites her and her band. "I was longing to have some new songs that were my own," Summer said. "The whole band and everybody, it's like they're rejuvenated."
The rest of the evening will be devoted to such hits as "Bad Girls" and "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)." But don't expect her to do her breakthrough single, 1975's oversexed "Love to Love You, Baby" with its heavy breathing
"I don't do it anymore," said Summer, a devoted Christian. "Once in a while, I'll play a little bit of the song just for fun. It doesn't have the same effect or the same meaning that it had back then, anyway. It's a totally different world out there now. You had to be there from the beginning to know what kind of effect it had. Most of the kids who come to the show have no clue. The hip-hop songs they hear are light-years more graphic than anything that was going on with 'Love to Love You, Baby.'"
The queen has spoken.
Jon Bream 612-673-1719