Adam Lambert: "For Your Entertainment" Back To the Future?

He's a rock star already.

I want to say upfront, I like Adam Lambert, and I like the disc. I plan on buying it, and I figure it will be in heavy rotation for the holiday season on my iPhone. That said, I wish I felt more like I was listening to Adam, who has the potential to be a groundbreaking artist musically, and less like I was listening to a less original Adam do knock-offs of other bands.

So who does he remind me of? Well, it’s not just one artist, and that’s probably what makes the album as a whole so enjoyable. He maintains that chameleon voice he showcased on American Idol, slipping into different artist's shoes, and not necessarily the artist he was collaborating with on a given track.

"You make me want to listen to 'Music again'" seems like a bold assertion to lead with on the first track of your debut album, but Adam's never been a wallflower. What I hear is something from Morris Day and the Time from the early 80s. That’s not a bad thing, because I liked “Jungle Love”, but I didn’t expect to get hit with such a familiar feeling right off the bat. 

We all know the debut single, “For Your Entertainment” so I won’t spend any time with it, instead moving on to “Whataya Want From Me” which is just screaming for a concert music video directed by whoever does fellow Idol alum Daughtry’s videos.

Influences spanning 30 years of music, Morris Day and Daughtry.

Moving on to “Strut” we get something oozing with rock star attitude in the best ways, and I get the strange desire to put on a pair of heels and give a runway walk that would move Miss J Alexander to tears. That, or as a great new sex song, since it’s got a perfect rhythm for, well, you know. 

Skipping to “Soaked” we hear why Queen thinks he’s the reincarnation of Freddie Mercury, because that’s who I see in my head, both in the tone and the delivery of the verse. It’s a beautiful, haunting song full of rich orchestration that could let him cross into some older generations that might not have listened to him otherwise.

There is little doubt that Adam can pack arenas for a spectacle show.

“Sure Fire Winners” makes me think of Prince, circa Diamonds and Pearls. With “A Loaded Smile” made George Michael form in my mind, from his songs like “My Mother Had a Brother” that are obvious odes to Marvin Gaye.  

And “If I Had You” with its gentle verse, and celebrant, bursting choruses reminds me of Cher, and seems to just be begging for a remix for the dance clubs, ready for us to throw our arms over our heads at 4 A.M.

Forty years of musical influences.

Which beats "Pick U Up" which I felt was perfectly suited for a show on TheCW. That's not a good thing. That leads us to “Fever” which didn’t make a huge impression on me, yet every time it comes on, I realized my head was bopping like a bad Saturday Night Live sketch, so it’s catchy and has a great hook.

“Sleepwalker” is the sort of unique tune I’d expected from Adam, familiar and yet distinct at the same time. It practically begs for an epic, story-based video. That leads us to “Aftermath” which gives me a hair ballad feel, and I kept glancing at my speakers expecting to see someone gyrating wildly in spandex while pyrotechnics went off behind them. 

“Broken Open” is a masterpiece, showing that delicate control Adam infused “Mad World” with on Idol, the voice steady, but sounding right on the edge of breaking, plucking emotions from the listener like he’s the instrument and not Adam’s voice. If there’s a disappointment about this song, it’s that it’s the only one of its kind on the album. 

He's a master of vocal control when it slows down.

The less said about the movie ballad “Time For Miracles” the better.

The genius of the album as a whole may be the effortless way he slips in and out of sounds that remind you of so many artists across so many years – it’s what may make the disc uniquely Adam instead of a series of cover songs.

Adam’s album goes on sale November 24^th, and you can listen to it streaming now via iLike on Facebook. Hate mail goes in the comments.