My Adam Lambert addiction started when the artist performed a unique rendition of Cher’s “Believe” on American Idol, but his powerful “Mad World” performance won me over forever. After coming in as the runner-up on his season of the show, Lambert quickly released his debut effort, For Your Entertainment, in November 2009. The album debuted at #3, featured a top ten hit, but really did not get the exposure it deserved. Adam is making sure that does not happen with the release of his sophomore album, Trespassing, which hit shelves today. Preceded by two singles, “Better Than I Know Myself” and “Never Close Our Eyes”, the album tops its predecessor in every way, shedding the glam inspiration and increasing the vocal ability by ten notches.
The album comes out of the door swinging. The title track kicks off the project and it must be the strongest album opener since Lady Gaga’s “Marry the Night.” The beat and production, reminiscent of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”, will have anyone pumping their fists and clapping along. The song is loud and a great way to get a party started. The track was the theme for the album and sums up the vibe quickly in a very pop way.
My favorite track on the dance/funk side of the album is the amazing, dare I say perfect, “Cuckoo”. Ever since Adam premiered the song live a few weeks back I have waited ever so patiently for the official version. The song is laced in “so good I could die” production and contains some of the best lines found in the entire album. Adam advices listeners to “walk that walk like you don’t give a f***” and believe me, I listened.
The album’s only guest features both appear on the funk/disco inspired “Shady”. Nile Rodgers and Sam Sparro assist Lambert on the psychedelic track which hypnotizes listeners with the very first note. There seems to be many drug references buried throughout, Lambert even states he isn’t broken but still needs a “fix”. The track is a great addition, the mixture of different vocals works and it takes me back to the late 80s.
Current second single, “Never Close Our Eyes”, penned by Bruno Mars was a reason the album was pushed back two months. While the song is good, it is nothing too amazing to warrant the delay. Lambert gives his best Mars impression on the intro, but with the help of Dr. Luke, he completely makes the track his own, surpassing the demo that made its way onto the web. The lyrics are sweet, could be a hit, but I was hoping for another single.
One of the album’s brightest moments, “Kickin’ In”, is special because it shows Lambert in a somewhat glam comfort zone, but just takes it back a few decades to give it a Michael Jackson influence. Again, the theme of alcohol and blackouts comes through, but the song carries a naughty underlining message. Is Adam in the mood for a threesome? This track indicates yes. The song may be one fitting for the college crowd. Well at least for me.
If anyone could make sex sound so innocent and sweet, Adam would be the one for the job. “Naked Love” shows the singer head over heels in love while he sings for his love interest to “take it off and try me on”. Any listener’s temperature would start to rise as Adam continues singing with a gorgeous smirk on his face. Of course, the song is a message of love, but purposely made to have a whole different meaning.
When the snippet of “Pop That Lock” was released, I predicted it to be a big miss, there was nothing great about it. Boy was I wrong. The song is amazing, one that I would blast if I was strutting down a runway. “Werk bitch, you don’t gotta stress this” is a fantastic line, it makes the entire song, but Adam’s vocals are the real highlight. Could have done without the outdated dubstep breakdown toward the end, but can’t have everything right?
“Better Than I Know Myself”, the album’s lead single, was a great choice for the artist, but it does seem to be the song holding the album’s two halves together. The song is a well-written, well sung, beautiful ballad, I was belting it out as soon as it came out, but it does seem like a bad decision as a single release now. The song unfortunately stalled on the charts, but I will always voice positive criticism for the Trespassing era beginner.
If I felt there was a lackluster track on the effort, I would have to choose “Broken English.” Now let me clarify that the track is beautiful, and not bad in any way, but out of the entire track list it may be the most boring. Adam sings the hell out of the material, and the production helps instead of hurts. The last few seconds are the greatest part, but overall I just think it does not compare to the rest of the album’s greatness.
Hands down, “Underneath” is the album’s greatest moment, it’s also my favorite track, so no arguing. The small snippet sent chills down my back, but the full version made tears fall from my eyes. The track carries so much emotion; the lyrics are heartfelt, they allow listeners to truly trespass into Lambert’s personal life. “I’m standing here with no apologies,” Lambert belts out on a beautiful, haunting moment that should garner him another Grammy nomination.
"Chokehold” still falls under the category of a ballad, but the pace is picked up a tad bit to become something more interesting. The title may lead someone to believe the song is going to have a dark, sexual undertone, a Rihanna “S&M” vibe, but it really describes the desire to go back to past relationships that were never good for you. The song is a great track, falls in the middle of the group.
The first song from the album to be teased was the show-stopping “Outlaws of Love”. Adam made jaws drop at one of his concert stops with the song that deals with gay marriage and equality. “Tears all fall the same” is a line that sums up the meaning for the track. The songwriting may be the most important aspect of the song, “they say we’ll rot in hell, but I don’t think we will” had me shedding tears due to anger and sadness.
The first track off the deluxe edition of the album, “Runnin’”, is a great surprise, I’m just sad it was not on the standard version. Adam’s vocals are low and deep during the verses, a sound I have not heard from the artist before. The chorus is strong and loud and really brings the entire thing together beautifully. I learned the song is a great workout track, I felt pumped and I’m sure everyone else will be as well.
Great additional tracks keep on rolling out as “Take Back” comes through the speakers. Usually bonus songs are leftover scrapes unfitting for release, but Adam was never one to follow the norm. The track is amazing, just like every other song on the album. Again, the chorus is the highlight, as Adam’s vocals soar to an impressive high. I do not know why this song did not make the cut.
The entire era closes out with “Nirvana”, a track title that had me excited ever since the list was released. Unfortunately, even though I think Adam sounds perfect, the song falls a little flat. Like “Broken English”, the song is not bad, it’s better than most of the stuff on the radio now, but it does feel bland, like something is missing. Not the strongest choice to end the phenomenal album experience.
Trespassing is a phenomenal, near perfect release from American Idol’s best contestant. Let’s be honest, the show has never been the same since he left. The album is better than Lambert’s debut in almost every way. I wish there was a little bit more glam and glitter, songs like “Fever” and “If I Had You”, but I can see an artist growing in the right direction. This dance, funk sound fits the singer’s personality and vocal ability. Adam shows off the power he has and will go down as one of the greatest male vocalists to ever release an album. Forget his personal life, what his sexual orientation may be, and focus on the fantastic music. Trespassing receives a high and well deserving 95%.
Tracks to Hear: “Cuckoo”, “Underneath”, “Outlaws of Love” and “Runnin’”
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