Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Adam Lambert’s second album, Trespassing, hits stores today.

And, as of 10 a.m., the deluxe version of the album is number two on iTunes’ most downloaded list before Tenacious D’s “Rize of the Fenix.”

Now, here’s what the critics are saying.

Oh, I think you could say there’s not a whole lot of consensus on the album.

Washington Times: Gives the album 3 stars. “‘Trespassing’ is perpetually over-the-top — even absurd at points, especially during the schmaltzy, operatic ballads that dominate the second half — but it’s also a career-defining album for Mr. Lambert, who sounds elated to finally let his true colors shine.

Houston Chronicle: “‘For Your Entertainment,’ Lambert’s 2009 debut, did a good job of channeling his flashy persona into big, bracing pop songs. ‘Trespassing,’ online and in stores Tuesday, builds on that framework with bigger anthems, bolder colors and a nod to the current.

Washington Post: “Most ex-contestants sound better with the more albums they put between themselves and their “Idol” handlers … But ‘Trespassing’ goes against the trend … The dance-pop and house tracks of ‘Trespassing’ could just as easily have been done by Rihanna or any number of faceless Euro stars.”

Dallas News: Gives the album a C, calling it a step backward from “For Your Entertainment.” “The most serious culprit is that his great voice is all but wasted in the busy overproduction and frenetically thumping dance sound.”

Toronto Sun: Gives Adam 3 stars out of 5. “The worst offence of all? He fails to be fabulous at all times.”

HitFlix: Gives Adam an A-. “Every so often an artist makes an album that brims over with not so much confidence as the feeling that he has left absolutely nothing on the studio floor. ‘Trespassing’ is one of those efforts.”

USA Today: Gives Adam 3 stars out of 4, saying this ” is the album that fans of the former American Idol runner-up have been wanting from him, more cohesive and personal than 2010’s For Your Entertainment.”

Rolling Stone: Gives Adam 4 stars out of 5, saying ”
So here’s the great pop album everybody was hoping Adam Lambert would make, ever since he ran wild on American Idol three years ago.”

Idol Chatter: I’d give Adam a B, and only because the second half of the album lags a bit. The first half is positively audacious. Funk, dance and more funk. Not to mention proof that a former Idol contestant other than Kelly Clarkson really can release a pop album that’s relevant in 2012. Oh, and while Adam said he toned down the vocal hijinks for album number two, he still flaunts his incredible range quite frequently. “Wait til ya get a load of me,” Adam belts on the brilliant title track. That pretty much sums up the album’s attitude. Would you expect anyting less?