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439 of 491 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outrageously, guiltily pleasurable. A musical popsicle., November 23, 2009
Let me begin by saying that I have never in all [nearly] 30 years of my musical fandom bought an album by anyone remotely associated with the corporate machine called American Idol.
But then... there is Adam Lambert. This man's mere existence invalidates everything. He's like the glittery lovechild of Velvet Goldmine and Edward Scissorhands, ridiculous, offensive, and intelligent all at once, and he has somehow landed in the hands of mainstream America. Oh, and he can sing his face off, as evidenced by this record.
Seeing as other music snobs have likely been blindsided in a simlilar way, I have decided to write not a traditional review, but a reassurance of sorts. A manual of how to handle an album you thought you'd never find yourself buying. Sort of like an unsuspecting Adam-addict's AA meeting.
-Expect to get 'Music Again' and/or 'Sure Fire Winners' stuck in your head for entire work-shifts at a time. Don't fight it - just run with it. When someone asks why you're grinning, shrug and continue humming.
-It's completely normal to get very turned on during the title track and have to take a cold shower afterwards.
-You're not flaming, flaky, or shallow for digging 'If I Had You'. It's shameless Euro-dance-pop, sure, but the vocals are all real, and the bridge screams of surrender. Just give in.
-'Aftermath' is cheesier than a block of packaged Velveeta, but as long as you relate the lyrical sentiment to something powerful in your own life, you'll feel less retarded for screaming along. 'Sleepwalker' is similar - an excuse to show off Adam's `sad voice'. And his sad voice is, well, effectively sad. Don't listen to this if you've been drinking or you might drive your car into a ditch.
-Speaking of driving, never, ever, under any circumstances, play the fist-pumping anthem 'Fever' in your car, unless you are sober and fully parked. Otherwise you run the risk of completely ignoring the road and ramming into some poor unsuspecting pedestrian who will only wonder why you won't stop headbanging long enough to get out of the car and survey the scene.
-'Broken Open' carves out the kind of emotional hole that should be reserved for indie film tragedies. Remember how it's always nearly impossible to take a song seriously once a modulation happens? Forget that rule. The key change here only makes you hurt harder. Another one to avoid while drunk - late-night listenings could lead to unintelligible journal entries best left to the imagination.
-The fuzzy atmosphere of 'Pick U Up' could fill a smiley-faced balloon and float it away. Feeling down? Put this on. Adam's gleeful laugh at the end melts frost like a hot bath. And while you're taking a bath... have a foolproof formula for relaxation: a glass of wine plus `A Loaded Smile'.
-One should never be above histrionics and random emo moments, as evidenced by the hysterical opening chords and subsequent calm of 'Soaked', as well as the Radiohead-like breakdown shoved into the middle of the anthemic 'Strut'.
-You know it's a good album when the likes of 'Whataya Want From Me' sound like filler. Don't worry about it - one 'meh' out of thirteen 'woo's ain't bad.
-And finally-- yes, 'Time for Miracles' at the end actually works. After this emotionally taxing funhouse of a record, the whole `ain't giving up' theme feels really good, like a cold cheap beer after a long day.
FYE may not be the best album I've ever bought - but it's certainly the most satisfying.
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145 of 169 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Adam really is effing remarkable...the real deal...if Bowie first fell to Earth in 2009..., November 27, 2009
Adam is the type of artist you either love or hate but cannot ignore...I started watching American Idol again after I saw Kara Dioguardi was to be the new 4th judge, and I'm a fan of her work...her Platinum Weird record with Eurythmic Dave Stewart was great and I love her writing and voice...like a hipper Diane Warren...why did I stop after Season 4?? Because Carrie Underwood won and I hated her then, still do (her latest "Play On" is one of 2009's worst), and could not support a show that supported and developed commercial crap like that, only Kara dragged me back, and I am THRILLED she did, because of Alison Iraheta (I will be buying her record pronto next week), Kris Allen (he was great on the show, but am unimpressed by what I heard so far on his album), and most importantly, ADAM LAMBERT...
Now, I'm not gay, but I knew he was from when he gushingly met Paula at the SF tryouts, and I didn't frikking care (I'm not at all homophobic and I LOVE lots of gay artists and believe in gay marriage)...when he did Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", I was sold...then on the show, he blew me away week after week with his adventurous song choices and bold arrangements he did with the band...I knew, based on that, he was a killer songwriter and had impeccable taste...plus his multi-octave range, playing with his image, etc...Adam was everything I hoped Idol would be regularly but they always come up with crap...and I still hope they have a songwriting element in the future...but Adam's covers were bold and damn cool...June Carter Cash's "Ring Of Fire" was awesome & wild, Tears For Fears' "Mad World" was beautiful and cool, Michael Jackson's "Black Or White" was like hard powerpop...all killer...and I've been anticipating his real debut album, "For Your Entertainment", and after months of waiting, WHEW, Adam did NOT disappoint...
THIS RECORD IS EFFING GREAT!!!!!!!! Not only that, it's one of the best albums of 2009, hands down, and definitely the most irresistible...
First off, his voice is like a glittering diamond...with impeccable range, soul, mood, wildness AND restraint...as someone said, he's almost not human...his tone reminds me a LOT of Alan Frew...who?? He's the Scottish, salad-dressing making, lead singer of Canadian band Glass Tiger...remember "Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone" and "Someday" from the mid-80s??? Yes, them, but Adam has more range and taste and coolness. And his record is like made-to-order with my discerning taste in music, from powerpop, 70s British glamrock, to 80s new wave synthpop, to moody electro ballads to Euro bubblegum dance, all with sublimely great songwriting with bullseye hooks that explore both towering highs and crushing lows...the range is like no other record in recent memory.
Out of the 14 songs here, Adam only co-wrote 4, which is OK, and in most cases, a bit disappointing...BUT the others were songs submitted by artists he admires (and who admire him) and honoringly covers...they weren't anonymous songs by Idol/19 boardroom members, not at all, and the beauty of these other songs is that they show who's pen it came from, YET they work in Adam's vision and he was able to put his stamp all over them, PLUS, with the variety in FYE, and the multiple producers, it doesn't sound like patchwork!!! This is completely beyond words...it sounds like the work of one artist who knows exactly who he is...in the wrong hands, it would be a complete mess...
Now, the songs...
1- "Music Again" (10 out of 10 PLUS)...could be song of the year, one of the most irresistible opening songs on ANY album EVER...written by Justin Hawkins, formerly of UK falsetto glam rockers The Darkness, and he plays guitar on the track too...EW called it a cross between Cheap Trick and Supertramp, and I agree, but I would throw some Sweet, Queen & ELO in there too...a totally irresistible keyboard-laced powerpop stomper of the highest order...I cannot stop playing this frikking song, and I'm still not sick of it...it's become a ritual, I have to play this song at least once a day to get my fix...it starts out a drop Van Halen in the opening guitar riff, but it quickly improves and launches like a rocket...and Adam's in AWESOME voice here, espesh the falsetto right before the chorus...it's just FANTASTIC!!! If FYE was just this song, it'd be one of the best of the year...seriously!!!
2- "For Your Entertainment" (10 out of 10), a fun, catchy-as-frick new wave electro dance track with a killer chorus and great vocal by Adam...great song written and produced by Max Martin associate Dr Luke, who worked with Kelly Clarkson among others...
3- "Whattaya Want From Me" (10 out of 10), the collab here between P!nk and Max Martin (produced by him too), and it shows...AMAZING powerpoppish balladish style of song, with a chorus that just KILLS!!! Just as great is that little riff opener and repeater throughout the song that's really simple but totally effective...leading to that MONSTER chorus...woah!! And it works with Adam like those sequined gloves and chains...
4- "Strut" (7 out of 10), Adam's written collab with Kara DioGuardi, and it's a cool glam rocker, catchy too, but it feels a TAD pedestrian, just a minor quibble...
5- "Soaked" (9 out of 10), Adam's cover of an unused MUSE song that the band gave to him, and woah...completely epic...it works with Adam's theatrical background, and it comes off like a hybrid of a Muse or Radiohead song with a James Bond theme...at first, I was like, eh, but it grew on me immensely...
6- "Surefire Winners" (9 out of 10), another Rob Cavallo production, and it's really catchy...one of the better tracks on the album, but not my absolute favourite...
7- "A Loaded Smile" (8 out of 10), Linda Perry's contribution to the album...she wrote the song, produced it and played most of the instruments, if not all...this does NOT sound like a Linda Perry production...but an electro Radiohead-ish epic slowie, not catchy, but melodic and brooding/moody, and it works with Adam beautifully, as he can tap into his goth side and his theater background equally.
8- "If I Had You" (10 out of 10), WOW, this is one catchy, kickass tune, like Adam's version of "...Baby One More Time"...no surprise it was produced and co-written by Max Martin himself!!!
9- "Pick U Up" (8 out of 10), Adam's collabo with Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, and it sounds like a mindmeld of Adam and Rivers...not as catchy as Rivers' best songs for Weezer, but it's a grower and is a bit off-kilter, plus Adam's laugh at the end is a nice fun touch.
10- "Fever" (10 out of 10), Lady Gaga's contribution, and yep, produced by RedOne as well...it sounds like a Lady Gaga song (it was a demo from 3-4 years ago that she had in her vault that she gave to Adam), and Adam turns it into something like a fun, dancey Scissor Sisters tune, like off their debut record, like "Tits On The Radio"...great!!!
11- "Sleepwalker" (10 out of 10), another WOWEE...this one, suprisingly co-written and produced by OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, and it's like a great moody New Wave electro ballad with a REALLY cool chorus...melodic, offkilter verses too...Adam OWNS this song (he sounds like A-ha's Morten Harket on the verses!!)...you don't think OneRepublic...but the REALLY winning touch is that KICKASS, searing, shredding guitar solo by Australian guitar whiz ORIANTHI, who played lead guitar in that Michael Jackson biopic "This Is It"!!!!! It would be PERFECT if she tours with Adam and/or plays in his touring band as lead guitarist...that would be a mindblower...a singer like Adam AND a guitarist like Ori??!!?? People's faces would melt right off from the sparks that would be generated and fires started...I can't even imagine...
12- "Aftermath" (8 out of 10) In the wrong hands, this song would be like an overblown, windswept balladish rocker by the likes of Nickelback or Bon Jovi, placed in some cheesy-ass movie...but Adam finds something in this song, which he co-wrote, and makes it work in his style...not an easy feat, but he makes it work, and his voice melts the song too...
13- "Broken Open" (10 out of 10)...aside from "Music Again", Adam's finest moment on the record, and he co-wrote this song too...this song shows what he's truly capable of as a songwriter, and I know we'll get more creative tunes like this...it's a moody, atmospheric, electro ballad with an epic arrangement and heartbreakingly beautiful melody and vocal...he's like in A-ha's Morten Harket's range here, as well as Keane's Tom Chaplin...just beautiful...it's as great as Tears For Fears' "Mad World" as well...
14- "Time For Miracles" (10 out of 10)...in the wrong hands, this would be a REALLY cheesy ballad, but it's really beautiful and moving...it was written by Eleven's 2 leaders, Alain Johannes and the late great Natasha Schneider, and it's truly heartfelt, raised to epic proportions for the cheeseball, ironically funny, movie "2012"...I LOVE it...and the song's verses start off like the Glass Tiger ballad "Rescued By The Arms Of Love" (check it out for yourself), but takes it somewhere greater and more epic, and the way Adam wails on the song and owns it...it's beyond words, and what a way to end the record...then you want to go back and spend YET ANOTHER 54 minutes with FYE and pop on "Music Again"...to paraphrase what Adam sings on that song, "Adam makes me want to play his record again"!!
If David Bowie was a new artist and first fell to Earth in 2009, he would not sound unlike Adam Lambert...now, I'm not religious or anything, but I would say this, thank God for Adam Lambert...he and Lady Gaga are prob the 2 most exciting, vital, creative artists of 2009...and he accomplishes the rare feat with FYE...what would be commercial dreck coming from most...
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58 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rock and Roll's New Sound, November 28, 2009
Great lyrics and music. The best album since the '70's. I haven't seen this kind of creativity and great sound in decades!
I just want to say that when I first listened to Adam's album, I didn't hear rock and roll because I was listening for the old-fashioned stuff. I listened again, and now I can't NOT hear rock and roll and I LOVE the new sound. It's a fresh, new sound that actually makes the old-fashioned rock and roll sound, well, old-fashioned. (and I was a real Seger fan!) I keep listening to the album because it makes me feel good and I LOVE the sound. I LOVE the music. It's so creative and fantastic that I can listen again and again and still want more. It's so good and so different that I really think this sound will be the future/current genre of R&R.
I haven't loved almost every song on an album since Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.
The ballads are beautiful, too. "Soaked" is unbelievably beautiful. His voice sounds like a cross between Freddie Mercury and the singer I heard singing the lead at the Phantom of the Opera. Beautiful, like rock opera ballad. He changes up the tempo on the second verse. Just beautiful, beautiful sound. Great lyrics.
I can't listen to "Broken Open" enough. It is such a healing song. So beautiful. Spirtually healing.
"Fever" starts off like a pop song but then turns into a hard rock song at the chorus. Makes you sing and dance your heart out. He changes it up, like he does all his songs. So creative and fun.
"Sure Fire Winners", Music Again", "If I had You", and "Strut" are great rock songs with a nod to the 70's rock but also a current, unique sound. Nothing like it. Sure Fire Winners is rock, but man, it makes you want to dance! Love it!!! Catchy, Catchy. Can't listen to it enough. "If I Had You" makes you rock and dance. So unique! The music changes up- nothing boring about any of this music. Amazing!!!
"Pick You Up" makes you want to dance- has a harder rock chorus. Unique, fun.
"Strut" is just amazing. Rock and roll. So different. Great, great, unique.
"Time For Miracles" the movie soundtrack, is a classic rock song with beautiful vocals.
"Sleepwalker" nods to classic rock, and it too, has a fresh current sound. It's beautiful! Very cool!
"Loaded Smile" is a dreamy ballad about conflicting thoughts and feelings as a beautiful relationship perhaps coming to the end of its time. The sound,again, is unique.
"What do you want from me" is a rock/pop/ballad. Just beautiful and heart felt.
"For Your Entertainment" is a pop song. The lyrics have double meaning. One describes the relationship between performer and audience- Adam commanded and mesmerized his audiences on his AI tour.
(LOVING 13 out of 14 songs is not bad!) Enjoying this like crazy. Listening to this album over and over and over. He's number one in my book of music out there. Right up with the other greats- Freddie, Queen.
And this is his FIRST album?!
THANK YOU, Adam!!!
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