Adam Lambert
“For Your Entertainment”
1. Music Again
2. For Your Entertainment
3. Whataya Want From Me
4. Strut
5. Soaked
6. Sure Fire Winners
7. A Loaded Smile
8. If I Had You
9. Pick U Up
10. Fever
11. Sleepwalker
12. Aftermath
13. Broke Open
14. Time For Miracles
Kris Allen was the official winner of American Idol. But six months later, can anyone deny that Adam Lambert was the real winner?
After all, it’s Adam Lambert who was given a song to record by the red-hot Lady Gaga. It was Adam Lambert who showed up at the premiere of the Michael Jackson film with Katy Perry.
And, tonight, it will be Adam Lambert — not Kris Allen — performing what’s likely to be an over-the-top version of his new single. (Check back, I’ll be posting photos throughout the AMAs.)
In short, it’s Adam Lambert who has been embraced by the entertainment community.
Tuesday, his debut album hits stores. It’s already been streaming on iLike.
And, guaranteed, it will make fans smile. Likely the same way Adam made me smile every time he hit the Idol stage earlier this year, breathing some badly needed life into a season that showcased a pretty bland cast of characters (Allison Iraheta excluded).
Is “For Your Entertainment” a flawless album?
Absolutely not. The first two ballads listeners encounter come across as self-indulgent bores. Later in the album, someone would have been wise to rein in Adam’s wails on “Aftermath.”
And anyone who expected Adam to release a rock album in the vein of some of the classics he performed on Idol — “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Born To Be Wild,” “Slow Ride,” etc. — might be disappointed by the dance beat that permeates many of his new songs.
But Adam promised us a “sonic dress-up party” with this album, and his voice soars all over the place, hitting notes other singers only dream about on a collection of songs that suddenly makes more sense of that campy album cover.
Want songs that will make you think you’re at a party?
Try the audacious “Fever,” the electro-pop “Sure Fire Winners,” the soaring “Strut.” The title track seems tame by comparison.
My personal favorite, “If I Had You,” where Adam starts an incredibly catchy dance tune, should-be single by singing “So I got my boots on / got the right ‘mount of leather / and I’m doing me up / with the black color liner.”
The first time I heard Kris Allen’s new album, I found myself distracted from music that, quite frankly, didn’t grab my attention.
That won’t be a problem with Adam’s CD. “For Your Entertainment” demands that you listen up, from the first track on.
For the most part, you’ll be glad you did.
Grade: B
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