Adam Lambert is no stranger to creating incredible cover versions of classic songs, adding his unique flair and vocal prowess to make them his own. His American Idol performance of Mad World by Tears For Fears elevated him to superstar status while his beautiful stripped down version of Cher's Believe at the Kennedy Center Honors brought Cher herself to tears. Now Adam is back with his fifth studio album, High Drama, a collection of re-imagined covers that range from contemporary chart hits to classics but what all of the songs have in common, according to Metro Weekly, is that "they are all heavy on raw, often over-the-top emotion, which happens to perfectly suit the energy he brings to the project". Indeed, the album is a reminder (not that we needed one) that Adam Lambert is one of the greatest male vocalists of our time.
Here is a track-by-track summary of the album:
1. Holding Out For A Hero
Original artist: Bonnie Tyler
Adam kicks off the album with a hyper-glam rock version of Holding Out For A Hero, a song which has appeared on several movie soundtracks over the years from Footloose to Shrek. He brings a fresh and fabulous OTT energy to the iconic track. Definitely one of my favorites on the album.
2. Chandelier
Original artist: Sia
Dare I say I prefer Adam's version to Sia's, whose vocals can get a little whiny in my opinion. The soaring chorus offers the opportunity for him to really showcase his vocal range.
3. Ordinary World
Original artist: Duran Duran
This was the lead single from the album. It's a tender and haunting interpretation of the seminal Duran Duran track, with his distinctive voice floating above the familiar piano and strings-driven melody.
4. Getting Older
Original artist: Billie Eilish
I would not have guessed that this was a Billie Eilish track. He has transformed it into a rock ballad reminiscent of a Queen anthem. The accompanying video is also pretty cool and shows Adam transforming into an older version of himself with the help of prosthetics.
5. I Can't Stand The Rain
Original artist: Ann Peebles
The Tina Turner version of this 1973 classic is probably the most famous. Adam does an amazing job of adding his signature style to the song while remaining true to the soulful original.
6. West Coast
Original artist: Lana Del Rey
A little too much hard rock and electric guitars for my liking. I prefer the softer, dreamy Lana version in this case.
7. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me
Original artist: Culture Club
This is a difficult song to cover because of the distinctive reggae vibe of the original not to mention Boy George's voice but he does a fantastic job of turning a forty-year-old song into a contemporary pop-rock gem.
8. Sex On Fire
Original artist: Kings of Leon
Riff Magazine sums up the song perfectly: "a bouncy and upbeat bass-driven alt-pop song that starts quiet and sensual before crescendoing into a fun, almost campy, climax". Another one of my favorites.
9. My Attic
Original artist: P!nk
I would love an Adam Lambert and P!nk duet (putting it into the Universe). Here he has created a beautiful acoustic version of My Attic, written by Julia Michaels, which appeared on P!nk's Hurts 2B Human album.
10. I'm A Man
Original artist: Jobriath
To be honest I had not heard of the song or the artist. I discovered that Jobriath was the first openly gay rock musician to be signed to a major record label so it makes sense that Adam would include his version of one of the provocative glam rock artist's hits on this album.
11. Mad About The Boy
Original artist: Dinah Washington
A fine and fitting conclusion to the album. This both sweeping and sultry version of the Noël Coward composition could easily be a Bond theme song and suits Adam's voice and energy perfectly.
Comments
Post a Comment