During his run as an American Idol contestant, camp theatrics
and gratuitous glam were important weapons in Adam Lambert’s arsenal:
stratospheric vocal runs, flamboyant costumes, stage-lighting
fusillades. This out-and-proud rocker’s weekly re-invigoration of the
hoariest standards was nothing short of awe-inspiring. So it’s hardly
shocking that For Your Entertainment plays like a gender-bent
hit parade, celebrating Lambert’s performance personae while saluting
the pop prerogative of co-songwriters/producers like Pink, Weezer’s
Rivers Cuomo, the Darkness’ Justin Hawkins, Lady Gaga and Max
Martin.
Everything is on the table: stirring-despite-itself MOR tear-jerkery
(“Time for Miracles”), Elton John-maudlin, California-comedown
weariness (“Soaked”), trippy space-rock operatics (“A Loaded Smile”)
and hard, fake Queen destined to surplant Kevin Rudolf’s “Let It Rock”
as sports-arena fist-pimping anthems (“Music Again,” “Sure Fire
Winners.”) On “Broken Open,” Lambert revisits the sumptuous, buttery
croon he nailed while covering Tears for Fears’ “Mad World” on
Idol. Inspiring and varied, Entertainment nonetheless
loses points for playing it a bit too safe. — Cummings
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2009.
