Disclaimer: I'm going to attempt to review Mr. Lambert's album without any mention of the AMAs and his polarizing performance there. I personally enjoyed it, but I can see why people didn't. That is all I will say on the subject.
When Adam was on American Idol, his greatest achievements were the opposite of what you would think. The glam rocker of the eighth season's rhinestones never shone brighter than when he was on stripped-down numbers. Mad World, A Change is Gonna Come, and Tracks of My Tears were undoubtably his best moments on the show.
There is little to none of that here. The problem with his up-tempo songs on Idol was the material. Pieces like "Play that Funky Music" and "Born to Be Wild" will always be stuck in karaoke land. He might have injected a bit of originality into them, but not enough to make these "follow the bouncing ball" standards sound like anything but what they were. However, on "For Your Entertainment," the faster songs are the ones that truly show his personality. "Strut," "Whataya Want From Me," "Music Again," and the title track all show that he's got guts to go along with glory.
While those four songs pack a needed punch in the album's opening, "FYE" never really takes a dip in quality, apart from the generic filler track "Sure Fire Winners." "Soaked" is a cleverly written ballad penned by the mind behind British rock band Muse. It has the untraditional (the Middle-Eastern strings section in the beginning) combined with traditional (the way the song amps up into the final chorus) in a cool and intriguing addition to the CD. Similarly brilliant is "Sleepwalker," where Adam plays the part of a man so obsessed he can't sleep. The atmospheric tension combines with his erethral vocals for fantastic results.
The entire record is worth purchasing. It's so rare to find a brand of "different" pop, and to find it from an American Idol contestant is even more distinct. Kudos to Adam for staying true to who he is. Like the man himself said, he's here for your entertainment.
Download this: Whataya Want From Me, Soaked, Sleepwalker
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