Adam Lambert's debut CD a credible start

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Adam Lambert, who made a major splash as a finalist on last year’s American Idol, doesn’t deny he felt the weight of expectations in making his debut CD, For Your Entertainment.

“It was definitely in the back of my head, at times,” the singer said in a recent phone interview. “It’s hard to kind of ignore it. Of course, I feel there are a lot of expectations, and I realize that. On one hand, it is a little intimidating, but on the other hand, it also gives me a lot of confidence and helps me in risk-taking.”

Indeed, Lambert didn’t play things entirely safe on For Your Entertainment, creating a diverse CD that combines classic rock, pop, electronic music and plenty of modern production touches.

“It’s a very eclectic album,” Lambert said. “I kind of don’t really stick to one genre. I don’t really believe in that. I didn’t do it on the show and I didn’t do it on my album. I did, however, do a lot of music from the ’70s during Idol, a lot of rock music, and (the ’70s) was just an era that I kept going back to, musically. And so I think it really was important for me to make sure I didn’t make too much of a departure from all that.

“But at the same time, I wanted to bring in some really contemporary sounds to it, and kind of go into a pop direction, as well,” he said. “What I really tried to do on some of the tracks was a straight-up fusion of the two styles, like a ’70s rock song, but kind of mixed with some new contemporary production style. So I was kind of trying to do the best of both.”

By and large, that’s what Lambert created. Of course, the sound of the music is one thing, while the quality of the songs and performances is another. And for the most part, the songwriting is solid. Music Again is a catchy and surprisingly glammy track, considering writer Justin Hawkins is more known for Zeppelin-ish rock. Strut and Whataya Want From Me are both successful fusions of rock and synth/techno pop, each imbued with strong pop hooks and a playful attitude. Soaked, written by Matthew Bellamy of the band Muse, is a luxurious ballad that gives Lambert the chance to tip his hat to Queen, one of his musical heroes.

Other songs, though, are more generic and less successful, including the techno-tinged title track and the synthy dance-pop tune, If I Had You.

So For Your Entertainment isn’t a slam-dunk triumph, but it has more highs than lows. And considering the CD had to be done quickly to meet a fall release, it stands as a credible start to what has already been an attention-getting career for Lambert.

Much of the focus has stemmed from the fact that Lambert, a native of the North County area of San Diego, was a different kind of contestant from the usual play-it-safe, big-voiced crooners that have populated the show. In other words, Lambert was the anti-Aiken (season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken), or, for that matter, the anti-Kris Allen (who surprised experts by beating out Lambert to win the season 8 American Idol crown).

Visually, Lambert — who revealed after Idol that he’s gay — was flashy, with his colourful clothes, spiky black hair and fondness for eyeshadow. Musically, he was edgy, and, as a performer, he boasted plenty of flamboyance to go with a super-charged set of vocal pipes.

Lambert admitted he was surprised he kept advancing on the show, because he didn’t fit its stereotype of a top contender.

“I didn’t think I was going to get that far, to be honest,” he said. “Knowing the type of performer I am, and knowing what the show usually looks for, I was like ‘Woo!We’ll see if this works.’ And every time I made it past another round or another cut, I was like, ‘Really?!’ And then, once we got to . . . the final shows, . . . then I started to feel like, ‘Oh, maybe I do have a shot at this.’ ”

Lambert has kept a high profile since the arrival of For Your Entertainment, with a number of appearances on major TV shows (including a risque performance on the American Music Awards). He’s also starting to play some shows. He admitted he doesn’t have an exact read yet on how fans feel about the music on For Your Entertainment, and he’ll probably continue to tweak his live show.

“I wanted to kind of experiment with a handful of different sounds and see what works the most with my audience,” he said. “I know I like certain tracks more than others, and then we’ll see what the audience says. It will be really interesting to see what’s the most popular.”

Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

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