Review: Trespassing – Adam Lambert

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“Trespassing – killer opening track! As other reviews have said – kind of like Queen “Another One Bites The Dust” brought bang up to date by Pharrell’s production and Adam’s amazing vocals. That bit where the guitar kicks in after the acapella bit of the chorus is FABULOUS.

Cuckoo – genius electro-pop-rock with a bit of dubstep thrown in for good measure. Love the hair-metal quality to the vocals on the chorus (kind of reminiscent of those on IIHY and Aftermath on For Your Entertainment). If this isn’t a single there’s something wrong.

Shady – one of my absolute favourites, partly because of the Nile Rodgers work on it. Adam, Nile, and Sam Sparro bring the funk back with a vengeance, but with an electronic background and oh-so-sexy vocals from our hero. I would LOVE Nile to work with Adam on producing another album, because I think that that funk-pop kind of sound is absolutely perfect for allowing Adam to riff on the melody as he’s so good at doing, and it shows him at his absolute best.

Never Close Our Eyes – it’s a good and catchy pop song (as I guess you’d expect from Bruno Mars) but for me nowhere near as interesting melodically or lyrically as most of the other songs on the album – like a lot of Bruno Mars songs it doesn’t really develop anywhere. Adam once again lifts a song beyond what it would otherwise be purely by dint of his soaring and unique vocals.

Kickin’ In – one word: MENTAL! (sorry, that’s probably a bit un-PC, isn’t it) But I absolutely love it! The seductive “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” MJ-esque quality of the verses contrasts brilliantly with the trippy, layered vocals on the chorus. This feels really “Adam” to me. Kind of reminiscent of Down The Rabbit Hole.

Naked Love – a nice, happy, summery song – as others have mentioned, you can almost hear Adam smiling the whole way through this one. However, like NCOE I think this is one of the least interesting tracks.

Broken English – LOVE this, particularly the totally gorgeous lush harmonies on the chorus that soar and fall to and from the stratosphere. Some people might not like the electronic dubsteppy parts in the mix, but for me I think it really suits the lyrics, talking about fragments, things being broken etc.

Pop That Lock – haven’t really listened to this one very much yet, but again, it feels quite different to a lot of stuff in the charts at the moment, and therefore like Kickin’In, very “Adam”.

Better Than I Know Myself – I can see why they chose to release this first as it does feel very reminiscent of WWFM which was Adam’s biggest hit from FYE. It’s a solid pop-rock effort with an awesome video, the only thing is that having heard the rest of the album I do think there are more interesting and better songs in a similar vein (see “Runnin'”….) But again, Adam’s voice lifts this song out of the ordinary.

Chokehold – another great effort on the “dark side” of the album, more of a grower than some of the others I suspect, but for me one of the more interesting songs on the album. People have referenced Duran Duran and Depeche Mode as quite obvious influences here, and you can sort of see why – but all the better! I love how Adam seems to take quite a few different musical styles from different eras and bring them up to date in this album. For me that’s one of the reasons he’s so exciting – he DOESN’T fit into any one “genre”, nor should he have to.

Underneath – O.M.G. Simply, a masterpiece. Adam stripped to his very essentials (ahem….) with minimum piano accompaniment, and letting that incredible voice absolutely take centre stage. The pain, rawness and vulnerability Adam projects here is just unbelievable. Adele – come in, your time is up.

Outlaws of Love – once again, simple but absolutely sublime. The message, the simple instrumentation, Adam’s voice in a more tender vein – just perfection. I would love this to be released as a single and be a huge hit for the statement it would make and for the showcase it provides for his fantastic voice.

Runnin’ – WOW! This is a real “builder” – it’s really unusual to hear Adam’s lower register being used so much here, but that gives the gradual build up in the soaring chorus even more emotional “oomph” as a result. The chorus really is just euphoric – I find myself wanting to do the “power ballad clenched fists” stuff by the time it gets to its climax! The only problem I have with this one is the strange abrupt end. But the more I listen to it, the more I keep thinking this would have been a fantastic opening single for him – it’s sort of similar to BTIKM but far more sophisticated.

Take Back – haven’t really listened to this much

Nirvana – beautiful, dreamy song. Haven’t fallen in love with this as much as some of the other tracks on the album, but give it time, I’m sure I will…..

I’d go with many other reviews on this and say that even though I might be biased as a huge Adam fan, if critics and radio still ignore this album, and don’t give it the praise and play it deserves, they really are a disgrace to their profession, because by any measure I think this is an album of artistry, melodic and lyric sophistication, emotional honesty, integrity, and musicality. As others have said, most of the music industry today is full of singers who would probably give their right arm to have even a quarter of Adam’s talent and who get pimped non-stop – whereas Adam is still having to fight every step of the way for the smallest bit of recognition and critical appreciation. I hope with all my heart that Trespassing will change this and give Adam the massive launch into superstardom that he so richly deserves.”