"For your entertainment" Reviews

Adam Lambert: For Your Entertainment

Adam Lambert debuts in the middle of the mainstream - not the worst decision

Somehow there seems to be something royal about Adam Lambert. With every thought about the androgynous "Glambert, how his fans call him, the word "Queen" comes to mind: Drama Queen. Flaming Queen. Sometimes even Freddy Mercury. Anyway, Queen-Guitarist Brian May was completely amazed by Lamberts first US-Single "Time for miracles" and certified the singer's voice with "sensibility, depth, maturity and awesome range and power". What can you say? It's not wrong. However, Adam Lambert doesn't only consist of his voice, but of attitude aswell. A lot of attitude. What he does with these two aspects is not necessarily of high artistic standard, but mostly it's entertaining.

Representative is the end of "Pick u up" (Co-writer was Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo by the way): Lambert doesn't sing his last line, he protracts it with a dramatic 80s-hairmetal-howling: "Can't you see what I MEEEEAAAAAAYAAYAAAAN?" - then he has to laugh. It's meant to be all about having fun, after all.

With this intention the singer was supported by a lot of famous writers: the opener "Music Again" was written by Justin Hawkins (The Darkness) and keeps the interest awake with a mixture of Mika-references and glamrock-elements. "Fever", one of the stronger songs on the album, is originally from Lady Gaga but sounds with its happy disco sound and the merry, little frivolous refrain more like the Scissor Sisters. The ballad "Soaked" however can't deny its origin of Muse (frontman Matthew Bellamy is listed as writer). Also on this area Lambert proves himself as talented singer.

Even if he doesn't often get the chance to show it. The album is very "produced", often over-produced, so that his voice gets lost in a gigantic "synthie"-orchestra every now and then. Another downer: Though Lambert throws himself with verve into every song he performs, the songs itselves always stay in the secure mainstream. A little glamrock here, a bit of glampop there, adding a few electro elements, but the daringness doesn't go any further. On the other hand, he doesn't have to go any further. After all, Lambert's record isn't called "experimental music for advanced learners", but "For your entertainment". And this fits in the end.

Rating: convincing

Much more than just "Mr. Gaga"

He looks like a mixture of Tokio-Hotel-Bill and the male version of Lady Gaga - but to reduce Adam Lambert only on his look would be a fatal mistake. The American Idol runner-up deserves to be listened to very attentive. His brandnew album "For your entertainment" proves this more than clearly.

... (reference to German Idol shows which didn't find anybody yet who started a really successful career) ...

And also Adam Lambert, runner-up of the season in 2009, presents with "For your entertainment" a debut with the best chances to establish its singer beyond the first hype.

Modern sound and old heroes

Except for Lambert's crystal clear vocal performance, the reason for this is the collaboration of a few real talents in the songwriter business. The team around the amazing Pink tailored the first single "Whataya want from me" to him. And even the other songwriters who worked on "For your entertainment" appear like a list of the "who is who" in the rock scene: Lady Gaga is responsible for the song "Fever", also there can be found names like Matthew Bellamy from Muse, Justin Hawkins from The Darkness and Rivers Cuomo from Weezer who stand for quality. Accordingly "For your entertainment" is through and through a very good produced rock album which pays tribute to old heroes but also convinces with its modern sound. Anyway, it doesn't sound like inanimate plastic pop at all.