Mr. Adam Lambert, a man I hold in high regard based on his exemplary performance on the little known television program American Idol, has come out with a single, "For Your Entertainment", that is not only unexpected but very troubling to my soul.
I am one of those in the mindset that Lambert was going to save the world from bad singing. He was going to set the bar higher than those before him and break open the land of mainstream music in a way no one ever has. Lambert was going to make not just the best American Idol alum album but the best album of the year, the decade, the century - the best vocal album, go on to win Grammys, four star praise, and everything that comes along with it. He could live out his days in one of the fancy mansions his millions of adoring fans gave him the opportunity to afford and buy lavish costumes that would fill his many closets when not on tour. He would have the untouchable fame of Cher and Madonna, with the ability to lie about retiring then come back to kill us all with the best selling tour of his career only to retire again and then make a great album we all knew he had left in him. When the light finally dimmed on his mega-successful, triumphant beyond words musical endeavors, we would all rush out and buy the thousands of magazines with his gleaming face on the cover, in his younger years, and mourn the death of the greatest human to ever walk the earth....
"For Your Entertainment" was Lambert's first chance to knock us all dead with the power that he possesses in his throat that even the best of the best can't attain. This was supposed to IT for every one of his fans, not to disappoint anyone but to "entertain" everyone. Now, why does it sound like Katy Perry?
Maybe it's not always in the best taste to compare musicians to one another but this single isn't in the best taste either. Adam Lambert got his fame on the wings of his voice. He is not using his voice in this single. Let him make the music he wants to make, whether that be dance, electro-pop, pure pop, whatever but at least use that voice! It is like Whitney Houston going out and smoking all that dope and hanging out with Bobby Brown. No one has a voice like Adam Lambert. It should be used for the universal good - in my opinion. There are people like my mother out there who even at 53 years old is still incredibly hip with the current musical trends and absolutely fell in love with Adam. We both did. My stepfather did. Our dog did. Anyone within a 30 feet radius of the television did. He has the gift of angels. And no other singer has ever made me get spiritual before. "For Your Entertainment" is a decent song. It might even be a great song to dance to but as a first single? It might've been a cool surprise on the album - at say track 8 or something - but Adam's talent is FAR superior to this fluff. I don't even blame Adam for this. No one can turn their back on someone with that kind of mega-talent. He'll still put it to good use I'm sure but it saddens me that as my boyfriend and I sit here listening to his single this morning (me acting like it's Christmas day), my face must go down a little and shake in dismay at what is coming from the speakers. Adam Lambert has a crown on his head. He must remember that and not let Kara Dio-whatever and Dr. Luke get in the way of that.
Don't be led astray Adam!
I will be looking out for the next single with very high hopes that refuse to be tarnished.
PS. I do like the campy, sarcastic album cover though. I think it's pretty clever.
