Forget what you know about the singer who’s strut his way with black eyeliner and lots of leather during his ‘For Your Entertainment’. The American singer songwriter returns to the charts with his second studio album, Trespassing, which sees a radical change of style into a much more toned down, softer side mixed with a sniff of Queen.
The standard album, consisting of 12 tracks contains a mix of radio friendly pop songs, with a few highlights and some very strong ballads. While the Queen influence is prominent throughout the whole album, it’s never over empowering which allows Lambert to come up with a unique personal album. The list of names, having worked on the album is in fact rather impressive; Pharrel Williams who’s responsible for opening the album with track ‘Trespassing’, Sam Sparro, Bruno Mars, Dr Luke and many others.
One of the first highlights from the album is the co-written Sam Sparro track ‘Shady’ which is such a radical change of style for Lambert and an absolute treat to enjoy. Amazingly Funky and fresh, which is clearly inspired by Sparro and reminds of his own new album ‘Return To Paradise’ which is full of similar anthemic disco stompers.A similar thing can be said about the track ‘Kickin In’ which sounds incredibly funky and at times makes you wonder whether Lambert could have been a member of the Scissor Sisters, as it is one of those tracks which would amazingly fit into their repertoire as well.
Of course new single ‘Never close Our Eyes’ and lead to the album ‘Better than I Know Myself’ are featured on the album as well. We’re not quite sure why exactly the latter has been chosen as the lead for the album, as the second part of ‘Trespassing’ contains much stronger efforts which could have been better promoters for the album. Don’t get us wrong ‘Better Than I Know Myself’ is definitely not a bad song but it misses a certain ‘Je Ne Sais Quoi’ when its being compared to tracks like ‘Underneath’. That track for example not only shows off the vocals of Lambert, but has been treated to a mesmerizing and haunting arrangement, which would have developed a huge interest for people new to Adam’s material. Bit of a shame, but the track is already turning out to become a fan favourite so who knows it might get a release at some point.
There is a clear distinction between the album with some very pop radio friendly upbeat tracks like ‘Cuckoo’ and ‘Pop that Lock’ in the first part, yet towards the end of the album, Lambert takes on the ballad approach and really seizes the moment to expose his emotions through his vocals. It’s definitely the case for the tracks ‘Underneath’ and ‘Outlaws of Love’.
If you fancy some more Adam Lambert there is of course the deluxe edition which features an extra 4 tracks including the very Queen inspired ‘Runnin’ (do we spot a little bit of We will Rock You, in the arrangement? Yep we do!)
‘Trespassing’ Standard and Deluxe Edition are out for sale now.
[...] SOURCE ShareTweet [...]
“Pop” That Lock!!
Oops. Thanks for telling me. Article’s been updated
I LOVE this CD! Running is, of course, a favorite. Hadn’t noticed any Queen resemblance to it, but it is an awesome song with powerful vocals that I find myself listening to on repeat! The song bearing the strongest resemblance to a Queen song, to me, is the title song ‘Trespassing’. 10 years from now people will still be buying and listening to this album and wonder why in the world they didn’t know about it sooner. Classic!
Thanks for your thoughtful review. I don’t get any Queen vibes from the album (except for the song “Trespassing,” which has been compared ad nauseum to “Another One Bites the Dust” ~ and I’m not reminded of “We Will Rock You” when listening to “Runnin’ ” (which is one of my very favorites). But, comparisons aside, I enjoyed reading your take on the album. I totally agree with what you said about “Better Than I Know Myself” — I find it one of the least stellar songs … and there are so many wonderful tracks to choose from! I can’t imagine having the standard album without the (U.S.) bonus tracks, all of which I think would make great singles. Of course I love “Underneath” (Is there a fan alive who does NOT like it?!?) ~ I would go so far as to call it a masterpiece … but I doubt it will ever be released as a single, because so many people hasten to misinterpret the lyrics literally, instead of accepting them as imagery to represent Adam’s inner self being revealed (which Adam himself has explained). The religious right has gleefully jumped all over the lyrics, of course, citing them as examples of the “deviant lifestyle” of Adam and all gays. I can’t imagine that “Runnin’ ” wouldn’t be a huge hit single … but, then again, so many of the tracks have great promise.