Randomize ME

If you’ve been following my blog, it’s pretty obvious that I’m a huge Adam Lambert fan. I was a bit skeptical the first time I saw him on American Idol and thought he oversang on Top 36 night. But ‘Ring of Fire’ came around, and I was a fan starting that point. I’ve followed him closely (actually, obsessively may the better word) after AI, and I’ve liked everything he said his album would be. So, talk about anticipation! But being a realist, as I’ve said on my review of Kris’ album, I was also preparing myself for a disappointment, given the previous track record of AI alums.

Now, after listening to the album ‘For Your Entertainment‘, I realize that I need not have worried. Adam had a vision, and he went about carrying that vision out, somehow managing to get the needed support from 19/RCA and an A-list of producers and song-writers that read like a ‘who’s who’ in the music industry. I was hella impressed the first time I read the album tracklist and saw just who exactly he had been working with.

Now, the funny thing about Adam’s album is that it actually comes across to me like someone asked him – hey, can you make a playlist of some really good dance music, but throw in a couple of ballads for the slow dances? – and that’s pretty much the album in a nutshell for me. I am completely amazed that the album isn’t a hot mess (given the too many cooks in the kitchen scenario), but instead, it’s like getting a ticket to the hottest dance party that a really cool dj mixed up.

I know that I pretty much have no objectivity left when it comes to Adam, but for whatever it’s worth, my personal favorites are ‘Music Again‘ (Love love the guitar riffs and the falsetto! Holy Freddie Mercury! Or Mika if you live only in the present), ‘Whataya Want From Me‘ (P!nk definitely knows how to pen a winner!), ‘Strut‘ (Killer earworm of a chorus! Who knew I would like Kara again after No Boundaries? The song is just so unapologetically silly!), ‘Soaked‘ (A sweeping vocal challenge of a ballad written by Matthew Bellamy, sung by Adam. Enough said), ‘A Loaded Smile‘ (I swear only Adam could’ve pulled this really weird song off – it’s kinda like the aural version of a high after toking some, you know, mushrooms or the like… LOL… very space-y), ‘Fever‘ (Very, very sexy – Please, please release this as a single RCA! – I can already visualize the music video, it’s probably bound to scandalize even more people. And please, Lady Gaga, do a cameo on the video!), ‘Broken Open‘ (Loved this one – it’s another space-y song, with absolutely gorgeous tune and emotion-laden imagery – and it has that ‘skirting on the edge of-‘ feeling that I loved with ‘Mad World’. Seriously… I cried… Trust me – this song is best enjoyed held in someone’s arms. Try it. I’ll wait.)

Second tier (but still beloved) songs for me were ‘For Your Entertainment‘ (A song that I had to let grow on me; just didn’t leap out at me the first time I heard it), ‘Sure Fire Winners‘ (can I hope that Adam can sing this at something like the World Cup? sounds awfully relevant to me!), ‘If I Had You‘ (It’s kinda like ‘Strut’ only more electro-pop, very very catchy, but repetitive), ‘Pick U Up‘ (Like FYE, this took a couple of listens before I warmed up to it… but now… I really really love it. It’s a really busy song – with some parts that allow Adam to be as theatrical as he wants, and he does let it rip! And thank you producer for keeping the laugh at the end, *hearts in my eyes*).

Ooops, was that virtually every song on the album? LOL -I did say that I absolutely love this album, right? Well, there were some songs… ‘Sleepwalker‘ I didn’t like that much (although it does have that really great guitar break in the middle) – I don’t know – all the Ryan Tedder songs sound too similar to my ears these days for me to completely enjoy them. And as for ‘Aftermath‘, sorry Adam, it was a total wash for me. Please, no more collaborations with your buddies next time. This one stuck out like a sore thumb, and I wonder why this was picked instead of one of the bonus songs? ‘Master Plan‘ has a really great hooky sound. Loved the chanting quality it has. For me, this would’ve made a stronger album track. ‘Down the Rabbit Hole‘ is another bonus which could’ve been a contender too.

So, yeah, I think there are a lot of songs on this album that can be huge singles for Adam in a perfect world. The problem is – I’m not sure how well Adam will actually sell – when I surf the internet – I always get disheartened by the outright hatred directed at him – and as has been pointed out, his style isn’t a huge seller if it’s done by a male here. Otherwise, Robbie Williams and the Scissor Sisters would be superstars in the US, right? There’s a part of me that really, really hopes he breaks out big here. Then the UK and Japan, baby, next stop for our ‘glittery alien from planet fierce’ (tm Neil Lambert). Seriously, I want to be able to say to my grandkids someday – when Adam is this huge icon of a rockstar – I was there for the whole ride from the start, how about that?

Adam’s full album is currently streaming on his Official MySpace, so check it out!

RADIO STATIONS THAT ARE STREAMING THE ALBUM
* KDWB (radio station), Kiis 108, channel 94.5, and KiiS 103.5 (just scroll down to the box ‘Current Standouts’ and click on ‘Music Again’) are also streaming it in full.*

For Your Entertainment is available on Amazon (CD, $9.99) and iTunes (LP, $16.99, but you get two bonus videos – one BTS vid is like 24 minutes! – and ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’). ETA : The shorter bonus video is up on YouTube if you want to watch.

** In celebration of Black Friday week on Amazon, ‘For Your Entertainment’ (MP3 album) is being offered for $3.99 only! I think (not sure) this is only for today (Nov 23). And if you get the Amazon $3.00 gift- or give-away, you can actually download Adam’s album for only $0.99! How’s that for a bargain, huh? **

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