Adam Lambert- Trespassing Album Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Album- Trespassing

Artist- Adam Lambert

Adam Lambert is another one of the great success stories of American Idol that shows that the program can produce some real talent, as Lambert, with his powerhouse vocals and strong charisma, has gone on to achieved worldwide success and create some cool pop music. Trespassing, his second studio album, debuted at number 1 in the USA and making history in the process as the first openly gay artist to do this. But is this real an album that deserves such a place in history, or was this just a weird thing where people were just taken in by his charisma?

Track 1- Trespassing

The records title track and album opener is a stomping track with a toe tapping rhythm and cool, kind of suave tone that finds the singer teaming up with producer and all round awesome guy Pharrell Williams. Lyrically the song is all about how Lambert is a powerful guy who knows how to live life, with the chorus depicting him as this guy entering into this town who doesn’t like visitors, but Lambert doesn’t care and will show them how great he is. It is a cool message that is a bit inspiring as it could potentially refer to the people who aren’t that big a fan of Lambert, and with his vocal performance he gives a really confident quality to the track mixed with a smooth but snappy tone. Williams is great on the production of the track, as the toe tapping rhythm is quite addictive and the infusion of rock guitars gives the song that little bit of grit, showing that on this record Lambert means business.

3.5/5

Track 2- Cuckoo

Track number 2 brings sings more to an electro pop level and a little bit more of a vibrant, lose yourself energy. As the title would suggest, the song is all about Lambert saying how he wants to be a bit crazy and just party like he means it, creating an anthem for the wild nights of many people who just want to throw away the stresses of everyday life, with the chorus having a simple distilled party essence that is really catchy. Vocally Lambert keeps things on a nice simple level until the bridge kicks in and we get that crazy, powerful vocal with the diva like ad libs that make for a proper exciting finish. The production is a little bit stereotypical of this type of pop song, but still has an energy that captures you and works well in creating a smooth rhythm, with the breakdown in the middle section being a little bit of a twist that makes the end that bit more exciting.

3.5/5

Track 3- Shady (featuring Nile Rodgers and Sam Sparro)

Inspired by the first night that Lambert met his former boyfriend Sauli Koskinen, Shady is a dark pop track that is still party inducing but has a forceful electronic underbelly and shows Lambert in a really confident persona. Lyrically the track finds the singer going on about how he is feeling shady and needs someone to kind of unleash him, a cool lyrical concept that unfortunately fails here a bit as the chorus just feels repetitive and lacks the catchy punch that it needs. Although Lambert tries to really grab us with the vocal performance that is gritty and feisty, and Sam Sparro offers a nice bit of smooth sophistication in the bridge, the song feels a bit bland, with the electro pop rhythms of the production having a static tone that doesn’t excite you in the same way as the last two tracks did.

2.5/5

Track 4- Never Close Our Eyes

First of the two collaborations of Lambert’s with pop producer and current hit maker Dr Luke, the fourth track is an nice electro pop tune that features elements of dance pop and euro pop, and which was also created with Bruno Mars and his production team The Smeezingtons. Lyrically the songs is about living life to the fullest and partying till dawn, and although this would be a cliché in today’s pop world, the song is given that bit of substance that is needed through the idea of enjoying your time with that special someone, because we never know when life ends. Vocally the singer is really strong, with the smoothness of his voice coming out in the middle section and the lilting tone at the end of each line in the chorus, although as a whole the track feels a bit safe and loses some of the vocal spark that other Lambert tunes have. The production is snappy with a propulsive beat intertwined with melodic sensibilities that creates a pop sound that is light but strong and gets you in a happy, let’s just get up and dance mood.

3.5/5

Track 5- Kickin’ In

Another Pharrell Williams assisted tune, Kickin In immediately catches you in terms of that difference in sound from the previous song, with a little bit more of an acoustic feeling nature at first and a sense of urgency that grabs you. The hook in the song is really catchy, with the whole song focusing on this lyrical concept of a woman who is getting happy off of the music, playing with the idea of taking drugs (although you can just take the song as being about being drugs). Although repetitive, the fast paced quality gives the track that catchiness rather than an annoying quality, although I am not a fan of the way the track fades out. Lambert is once again strong vocally, although he doesn’t show off his voice to its fullest, but that is also something to commend the song for in that it shows how he can be restrained yet still create a positive, catchy tune. Williams also creates another snappy sound in the production with a slight tinny texture and smooth mix of electronic tones with finger clapping tones.

3.5/5

Track 6- Naked Love

Lambert goes into little bit more of a typical pop rock energy with this track that is based in a bouncy guitar rhythm and finds the singer lyrically in a state of happiness and love. Here we find Lambert singing about how he once his man to take it off and show him love tonight, and although you can take it as talking about sex, it’s a bit deeper, rather talking about how he wants his partner to show him what lies underneath his persona. Vocally he brings a light and punchy quality to the song, with the chorus being really catchy and strong in the final section, as the bridge really allows for a build to the finish. Production on the track with the pop swirls and bouncy rhythm is a little bit typical of the genre but works in keeping the tracks sentiment going and just creating a light pop tune that as a listener you can easily enjoy.

3.5/5

Track 7- Pop That Lock

Pop sounds continue with this track, but things are a bit more hard edged and feisty with this song where Lambert  sings about forgetting the stress of life and unleashing that free side of yourself, and how you can only party by breaking down the things that hold you back. It’s such a simple message that is given catchiness with the simplicity of the chorus and the nursery rhyme like post chorus sections. Vocally his voice is a bit distorted in places to give the song a cool, twisted sensibility alongside the simple craziness, with the final moments of the song allowing Lambert to show his vocal power with some really nice ad libs. The production is simple but effective, with the thumping electro pop bass being a catchy sound, and the bridge being another breakdown that is cool and allows for a grand finish.

3.5/5

Track 8- Better Than I Know Myself

Things get a bit more serious with this song that is the second Dr Luke collaboration and finds Lambert singing in a different format for a change, as the track is a nice electro pop ballad. The tracks lyrics find Lambert in a little bit of a state of regret as he sings about a lover who knows him inside out, but who he has treated a little badly and how he just desperately needs. The song has a beautiful sense of honesty to it, intermixed with a cool, icy kind of tone that brings the desperation out that little bit more. Lambert is really strong vocally, being restrained in the verses to give the chorus that little bit of passion, with the high not of the final line of the chorus being very emotional, and the final section showing how much power he has in his voice. The production is equally emotive and great, with a thumping bass beat and retro synths that just give that touch of drama and emotional resonance needed for the song, but also at the same time just sound really catchy and sounding like it would fit on pop radio really well but still stand out from the other tracks from other artists.

4/5

Track 9- Broken English

Another song about his former boyfriend, Broken English reflects the challenges and rewards of that relationship and finds Lambert vocally a little bit grittier in the chorus and a bit more back to the glam rock edge of his debut, but having a smooth, steely tone in the verses that allows for a really catchy chorus. The song is for the people out there who struggled to find the words to express their feelings, as Lambert himself can’t find the words, and him and his partner just have this body language. It’s a moody kind of sentiment that is given more by the frenetic edge of the production with the scatter beats and the high octane essence of the bridge that allows for that final chorus with the really strong vocal tone.

3/5

Track 10- Underneath

Lambert goes even darker and more emotional with this song that is slightly more stripped back in tone than the previous tracks, although it still has a really grand feel and strong tone. The song is all about Lambert letting go to show his partner who he really is, and in that sense just wanting to be accepted for what lies underneath. The song is emotionally impactful, particularly in terms of the fragility and desperation that Lambert seems to convey within the vocal performance, although the song is a little annoying in terms of the over repetition of the word underneath. However, this is kind of made up for with the power of the vocal and the dark, moody essence of the production with that beautiful piano melody that gives a delicacy to the verses, and the harshness of the chorus that just makes everything that bit more powerful.

3.5/5

Track 11- Chokehold

Things are still kept within a darker tone with this track but the ballad form takes more a back seat for a punchier sound. Lyrically the song is all about a relationship which is a bit volatile and shouldn’t work, but Lambert knows he will just continually want this man back in his life, and the song is given its catchy quality through how the song is just really honest and doesn’t try to go to deep lyrically. It also really works as a track as vocally Lambert just keeps things simple, giving a sense of passion to the song but not necessarily going overboard in telling this guy he will want him back. The thumping bass is really strong and cool, and the rock elements are so great and a nice change of pace from the pop elements of the first half of the record, with the guitar riffs being really gritty and having a great, powerful undertone, whilst the last few seconds give a subdued moment of nice reflection.

Track 12- Outlaws of Love

The final track on the album is the most political song on the record, as the song is lyrically about the legalization of gay marriage and draws on the ideas of how gay marriage is treated as something wrong by certain people and how people are mistreated within society. It has a simple emotional honesty that is given gravitas by the vocal performance of Lambert who produces a really delicate one within the track and shows how this is a matter that is really close to his heart. And in keeping the production really simple with the steady drum beat and nice guitar melodies, you really get the essence of passion within the song and focus more on the potent lyrical content.

3.5/5

Final Review

With this second studio album Adam lambert has once again showing why he is a star that shows American Idol has talent, as he has such a great voice that is full of charisma and produces really catchy tunes. This album is really strong as it feels a little more polished and attention grabbing, and also finds the singer pushing himself into new territories of sound that really works. Elements of the generic are there a little, and I am a bit on the fence about whether the divide of the album in terms of the happy, upbeat first half and dark, moody second half works, but all in all this is a solid album that is catchy and shows he still has a lot to offer us in terms of musical delight.

7/10

Best Track- Better Than I Know Myself

Worst Track- Shady (featuring Nile Rodgers and Sam Sparro)