Search - Donna Summer :: Four Seasons of Love

Hot Seasons?Summer's Soul Music!

Vincent M. Mastronardi | Michigan | 07/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm surprised that most people find this album as so typically disco while the only song that truly comes off like that "Spring Affair". The song is very light and danceable. The other songs to me feel like they have a very deep soul vibe. The mix of horns and bass make "Summer Fever" feels like a disco meets '70s R&B heat. Maybe her sexiest non-moaning number seventies song. "Autumn Changes" is sophisticated dance sounds with longing vocals and great use of wind instruments. "Winter Melody" is probably the best example of hot seventies soul although it's so sad. It feels like the emotional high point in a action film like "Shaft". In fact, it might have fit in perfectly in something like that or "Foxy Brown". The numbers are perfectly in place and describe a relationship very well. From the love at first sight ("Spring Affair") to passion ("Summer Fever") to problems ("Autumn Changes") and just plain heartache ("Winter Melody"). I don't know, but I'm I the only one that hears all the soul and lust in the album rather than just cleaver disco arrangements. I think this was Donna's first, only and best seventies soul album. Hear it for yourself and see what could have been a great singer of classic R&B. Also these are some of her best written songs at the time. Of course, Donna's awesome disco hits that would come later on is nothing to sneeze at either. Just another cool side of Summer."

THE PERFECT DISCO PERFORMER IN PEAK FORM!

Paulo Leite | Lisbon, Portugal | 03/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I still have the original vinyl album my folks bought back in 1977. For a start, what a beautiful cover! Donna sitting on the moon. What a great idea! She was by then the true disco queen. The original album had a 1977 4-leaf calendar with Donna in four different seasons (the cover image is the Summer). When I bought the cd I was happy to see that the original calendar art was reproduced.The record itself is nothing lees than great. Donna sings beautifuly and the four tracka are a great example of great disco sound. Later, disco became a bit stupid, but these Donna Summer recordings are from a time when disco was at its best. Spring Affair is a warm song with lot of rhythm and we can see the taste the producers printed into the material. A great orchestra with top players. Summer Fever has a bass you'll never forget and (again) a great beat. The back vocals have that distinct echo we only find in 70's disco sound. Autumn Changes is another rhythmic gem with flutes and syntethizers. Winter Melody slows it all and turns the "mellow" mood on.This is one of the best albums ever produced in the Disco era. Every one who lived at that time will remember it instantly. A great buy."

The Queen of Disco's Ascension

David Wayne | Santee, CA United States | 09/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When Donna Summer first hit in 1975 with "Love To Love You Baby,"
it was tempting to dismiss her as just another voice planted in the middle of a disco groove, who would be forgotten almost as soon as the beat faded off the charts. Indeed, her first two albums featured Summer's voice at its highest; its breathiest. Their sales success notwithstanding, one couldn't help but wonder if there was anything to Donna, other than Oooohs and Ahhhhs. Four Seasons of Love answered that question. Donna still
is singing in a wispy falsetto, but it is the WAY she is singing
that captures one's attention. She is sounding like a professional in this album, trying to get the most meaning out of
each new phrase. Four Seasons was a successful expansion of some
of the drama of her previous concept album, A Love Trilogy. Here,
Donna explores four stages of a love affair; stages that anyone who has been in love can relate to-- especially those who have loved and lost. "Spring Affair" captures the hope and optimism that come with new love. The beat is bouncy, the mood of the song
is bright. You can cut Donna's sense of anticipation with a knife, and she sings as if she's completely involved in her new feelings. As "Summer Fever" takes over, Donna and her new lover can do no wrong. The guitars and bass twang and throb with the heat of a newfound passion. Love is burning bright, and Donna obviously loves playing with the fire. But then come the "Autumn Changes"! The beat slows. The mood fluctuates. Donna begins to questions things, as woodwinds replace the brass that punctuated
the first two songs. She is vulnerable and almost somber in her tone, as her lover begins to pull away from her. Then comes the "Winter Melody." Her man is gone. She is alone. The beat is even slower, like a heart that wants to stop beating. The strings
in the arrangement are drenched in pathos. Pain is all around.
But even as that pain becomes distant and starts to fade, we hearanew the throbbing bass of "Spring Affair." The reprise leaves us
to wonder if Donna and her man have been reunited... Or if she is
thrilling to the sensations of a completely new man in her life.
With this album, Donna Summer rose above and separated herself from the likes of Gloria Gaynor, Carol Douglas, Claudja Barry, Thelma Houston, Amii Stewart, and on-and-on. Even a pop icon like
Diana Ross ventured into Summer's domain on "Love Hangover." But
Donna Summer was uniquely suited to sing the suites of songs that
filled so many of her albums. Soon to follow this album were the themed sets Once Upon A Time and I Remeber Yesterday in 1977, and
Live And More hit #1 in 1978, a feat matched by Bad Girls the following year. By that time, Donna had almost completely ditched
her falsetto, and was proving herself to be a great songstress. Four Seasons Of Love, with its vivid images of the exhilaration of spring; the carnal heat of summer; the uncertainty of autumn;
and the bleakness of winter, gave us our first hints of Donna Summer's incredible staying power."