| Mistaken Identity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 23, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | November 1990–May 1991 | |||
| Studio | Unique (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 54:59 | |||
| Label | Atlantic (United States) Warner Bros. (Europe) | |||
| Producer | Keith Diamond | |||
| Donna Summer chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Mistaken Identity | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[2] |
| Los Angeles Times | [3] |
Mistaken Identity is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Donna Summer, released on August 23, 1991, by Atlantic Records and Warner Bros. Records. A musical departure for Summer, Mistaken Identity was her last release under Atlantic Records, and The album was a commercial failure and failed to chart, although it reached number 97 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The lead single, "When Love Cries, entered Billboard Hot 100 at number #77, but the second and final single "Work That Magic" failed to chart in the US.
Background
[edit]Since making her name as the biggest female star of the disco era in the 1970s, Summer had experimented with different musical genres throughout the 1980s with varying degrees of success. For Mistaken Identity, Summer adopted a more urban style.
Commercial performance
[edit]The album was not a commercial success and failed to chart on both the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart. However, it spent a single week on the US Billboard R&B Albums chart, at #97.[4]
Singles
[edit]The first single released from the album, "When Love Cries", peaked at #77 on the US Billboard Hot 100[5] and #18 on the Billboard R&B charts.[6] "Work That Magic" was released as the second and final single in the United Kingdom and reached #74 in the UK Singles Chart.[7]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Get Ethnic" | Donna Summer, Keith Diamond, Paul Chiten, Anthony Smith, Larry Henley | 5:21 |
| 2. | "Body Talk" | Summer, Diamond, Chiten, Smith, Henley | 4:48 |
| 3. | "Work That Magic" | Summer, Diamond, Chiten, Smith, Henley | 5:00 |
| 4. | "When Love Cries" | Summer, Diamond, Chiten, Smith, Henley | 5:15 |
| 5. | "Heaven's Just a Whisper Away" | Diamond, Henley, Smith | 4:06 |
| 6. | "Cry of a Waking Heart" | Betsy Cook, Bruce Woolley | 4:36 |
| 7. | "Friends Unknown" | Summer, Diamond, Smith, Vanessa Smith | 3:44 |
| 8. | "Fred Astaire" | Summer, Diamond, Smith, Donna Wyant | 4:40 |
| 9. | "Say a Little Prayer" | Summer, Diamond, Smith, Wyant | 4:07 |
| 10. | "Mistaken Identity" | Summer, Diamond, Smith, Wyant | 4:08 |
| 11. | "What Is It You Want" | Summer, Diamond, Wyant, Smith, Vince Lawrence, Dave Resnik | 4:40 |
| 12. | "Let There Be Peace" | Summer, Diamond | 3:59 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Work That Magic" (ISA Full-Length Remix) | Summer, Diamond, Chiten, Smith, Henley | 6:15 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3. | "Work That Magic" (ISA Remix) | Summer, Diamond, Chiten, Smith, Henley | 5:00 |
| 13. | "When Love Cries" (Single Remix) | Summer, Diamond, Chiten, Smith, Henley | 4:12 |
| 14. | "When Love Cries" (Vocal Club Dub / Summertime Remix) | Summer, Diamond, Chiten, Smith, Henley | 7:36 |
| 15. | "Work That Magic" (ISA Extended Remix) | Summer, Diamond, Chiten, Smith, Henley | 6:15 |
Personnel
[edit]- Donna Summer – lead vocals (1–10, 12), backing vocals (1–6, 8, 9, 10), rap (4), all vocals (11)
- Keith Diamond – keyboards (1–10, 12), rap (2), string arrangements (5, 7)
- Paul Chiten – keyboards (1)
- Eve Nelson – keyboards (2, 3, 4, 6), string arrangements (5, 7), acoustic piano solo (6), acoustic piano (7, 12), additional keyboards (8)
- Anthony Smith – backing vocals (5, 6, 8, 9, 10), keyboards (10), "intro madness" (10)
- Vince Lawrence – keyboards (11)
- Joe Taylor – guitars (1, 7), additional guitars (2, 4)
- Vicki Genfan – guitars (2)
- Rafe Van Hoy – guitars (3)
- Little Axe – guitars (4, 9, 10)
- Paul Pesco – acoustic guitar (5), guitars (7)
- Dave Resnik – guitar "vibe" (11)
- Ira Siegel – guitars (12)
- Carl James – rap (2), bass (7, 12)
- Kaydee – ethnic drums (1), percussion (1, 5), rap (2), "assorted funkiness" (2, 11), drums (9), "intro madness" (10)
- Joe Hornoff – drums (4)
- J.T. Lewis – drums (5, 7, 12)
- O.C. Rodriguez – additional drums (9)
- Bob Conti a.k.a. Bob "Mr. Shaker" Conti[8][9] – percussion (2, 5, 10)
- Danny Wilensky – saxophone (2, 7)
- Steven McLoughlin – "on a Harley D" (2)
- The 'Heart' Strings (Ann Labin, Cathy Metz, Suzanne Ornstein, Sally Schumway and Suzie Schumway) – strings (5, 7)
- Mary Ellen Bernard – backing vocals (1–4)
- Susan Macke – backing vocals (1–4)
- Gene Miller – backing vocals (1–4)
- Neil Thomas – rap (4)
- Tracy Amos – backing vocals (5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
- Sabelle Breer – backing vocals (5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
- Cliff Dawson – backing vocals (5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
- Craig Derry – backing vocals (5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
- Lauren Kinhan – backing vocals (5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
- Yogi Lee – backing vocals (5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
- Biti Straughn – backing vocals (5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
- The McClendon Choir – backing vocals (12)
Production
[edit]- Keith Diamond – producer, arrangements, mixing
- Ian Stanley – producer (3), remixing (3)
- George Karras – engineer, mixing
- J.C. Convertino – additional engineer
- Acar Key – additional engineer
- Peter Robbins – additional engineer
- Bob Rosa – additional engineer
- Shawn 'Fido' Berman – assistant engineer
- Carl Glanville – assistant engineer
- Jeff Lippay – assistant engineer
- Steven John McLoughlin – assistant engineer
- Darien Sahanaja – assistant engineer
- Joe Seta – assistant engineer
- Andy Udoff – assistant engineer
- Adam Yellin – assistant engineer
- Herb Powers Jr. – mastering
- Donna Summer – album art concept
- Tracy Nicholas Bledsoe – album cover coordination
- Bill Smith Studio (London) – design
- Harry Langdon – photography
- Gina Delgado – stylist
Studios
- Recorded at Unique Recording Studios, The Hit Factory, Electric Lady Studios, RPM Studios and My Blue Heaven Studios (New York City, New York); Interface Studios (Bayside, New York); Presence Studios (Westport, CT); Rumbo Recorders (Los Angeles, California); Encore Studios (Burbank, California); Track Record Studios (North Hollywood, California); American Recording Co. (Calabasas, California).
- Mastered at The Hit Factory.
- Studio managers – Tony Drootin (Unique Studios, NY); Vicki Camblin (Rumbo Recorders, LA); Troy Germano (The Hit Factory, NY); Bob Mason (RPM Studios, NY); Daryl Simmons (Encore Studios, LA); John Russell (Presence Studios, CT).
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] | 97 |
References
[edit]- ^ Carpenter, Bil. "Mistaken Identity Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ Fox, Marisa (September 6, 1991). "Mistaken Identity". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
- ^ Johnson, Connie (September 15, 1991). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ "Donna Summer Mistaken Identity Chart History". Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "Donna Summer When Love Cries Chart History". Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "Donna Summer When Love Cries Chart History". Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "Donna Summer - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ Bob Conti
- ^ "Bob Conti". Discogs. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "Donna Summer Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
