Friday, January 1, 2010

Album Review: For Your Entertainment - Adam Lambert

It’s no secret that I’m more of a Kris Allen fan, and Adam typically leaves me hot and cold - when he’s good, he’s great, but when he’s bad, yeeesh. When I first heard the snippets, I was underwhelmed. To me, it was Adam singing Muse, Adam singing Pink, Adam singing Gaga, Adam singing Weezer, etc.

However, after hearing the whole thing, there are moments of total awesomeness here. Some songs seem to embody the kind of music Adam wanted to put out, and they play to all his strengths. It does feel a bit disjointed, though, going from one to another particularly in the beginning. I think that it’s going to be the music people will love or hate... not much for people to feel so-so over.

Here's my track-by-track review: 

The opening groove sounded weirdly familiar, so I kept replaying it until I figured it out - it reminded me of Shake Yo Groove Thang. Ha! Maybe on purpose? I imagine that this is a 70s throw back homage. The layered vocals are interesting and the falsetto is a nice touch. I kind of like it. A true glam rock throwback. 7/10

I don't know. I think that this is definitely one of the stronger songs on the album. I think that it has a pretty strong back beat with that generic old school disco sound. His vocals isn't as out front as I would like it to be but there are parts at the end where I get a taste of his vocal range and rock wails. Nonetheless, it has a fabulous hook, slick production and very dance-y. 9/10

I love this. I'm actually digging the hit pop song sound. Pretty good. However, I just can't shake how much it sounds like Pink should be singing it and he is just covering her song. Ha! 9/10

I honestly believe that Kara Dioguardi redeemed herself with this song. Haha. It was surprisingly better than what I've expected. It seems to be the anthem of the whole album as it has a good dirty downbeat. 8/10

The song sounds so much like a Muse song. Interesting. Well, I'm not actually a big fan of this one. Sometimes when he slows it down a bit – he gets a little too Andrew Lloyd Webber-y for me. I don't know. I sort of like his phrasing though. 5/10

One of the better songs on the album. It has so much going on in it musically that I kept hearing new things. Ha! I totally think there's a brief but awesome homage to a famous rock riff in there. Also, I think his vocals here are awesome - it's actually in a category all by itself. The song is definitely Freddy Mercury-esque and made for arenas. 7/10

This made me think of Prince. I don't know. Haha. This is probably the song I don't really care for at all. I want to smash that drum machine after the first ten seconds and then it goes on for another ten seconds. Meh. 3/10

I’m having trouble getting past the lyrics of this song - particularly the beginning where it's something about wearing the right amount of leather and eyeliner. Haha! However, I can actually hear this one at the clubs. This would put people in the mood to party, I think. 8/10

There is something appealingly offbeat and quirky with this song. I like his inflections and the way he makes his voice sound on it. It is so adorable to me and the laugh at the end makes me smile. I find myself being drawn to this - weird. 6/10

It looks like Lady Gaga is incapable of writing a bad song. This is hands down my favorite track! Awesome. I love the funky, slightly syncopated off-center quality. The lyrics is fun and insane. 9/10

The verses are kind of boring until it gets to the beginning of the chorus, which is actually pretty cool. I can definitely hear Ryan Tedder's - Halo, Already Gone, Bleeding Love, Battlefield - signature sound in this track. The guitar riff towards the end is sick! A mixed bag but it's generally good. 7/10

This is a weird track to the eclectic sound of the album. Very Daughtry I must say. I actually didn't expect anything like this to come out of his debut record. And although the song got that terrific big rock ballad sound, I don't think it fits him. In some parts, he actually sounds like Daughtry himself - especially the first part. Good thing, I love the song. 8/10

David Cook is to Permanent and Kris Allen is to I Need To Know as Adam Lambert is to Broken Open. His vocals here are hauntingly beautiful and stunning. It actually reminds me of his rendition of Mad World during his American Idol run. This song demonstrates a top class production - deep deep body-tingling bass, mixing of several sounds and instruments properly coordinated and controlled so as not to overpower the vocals. Having said that, I can also hear this a capella and would still sounds amazing with that voice. 9/10

This is an absolutely beautiful track from the 2012 soundtrack. I think that the song is very powerful and emotional that it tugs right at the heart strings. His voice is sublime and flawless. Undoubtedly, one of my favorites in the album. 9/10



Now, I am curious to see what the music reviews will look like. It’s not bland at all, but to me that doesn’t mean it’s good nor should that merit praise. I am guessing music critics who love Adam will eat it up though. I wonder if he didn’t already have the great Idol press how this album would have fared for Adam as a new artist? I know all Idols have that advantage - or disadvantage - based on how they gain popularity from the show; I just wonder if his reviews are going to be strongly influenced by that fact that people seem to love Adam the person as opposed to the music standing on it’s own. I guess time will tell.

I am not an Idol fan who loves or hates just because of who I supported through the season, it’s all about the music after Idol for me, but I just can’t listen to this repeatedly - I really did want to like everything though. I am happy that Adam's fans are excited... Good for him and all of them!

RATING: 7.4/10

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