The Original High
Adam Lambert
(Warner Bros)
Two stars
After rocking with Queen as frontman during their last world tour, Adam Lambert has somewhat shaken off the rock theatrics to hit the club with his third solo album. Known for his astonishing range, Lambert this time around doesn’t go for broke vocally, but is more happy exploring the different textures of his voice.
The opener, Ghost Town, should give EDM vocal king Sam Martin a run for his money, with Lambert effortlessly moving from crooning to a clubtastic soar. The follow-up title track is another expertly produced club banger, with Lambert's voice apexing in a thrilling falsetto in the chorus. So far, so good, but these two turn out to be the album's high points.
While the head-nodding There I Said It, and the sweaty The Light have their feet pointed towards the dance-floor, the album is ultimately let down by the furrow-browed attitude surrounding it. Lambert and the producers just don't let loose nearly enough – tracks such as the shimmering Rumours and the brooding closer Heavy Fire sound sonically pretty, but rather arduous when taken as a whole. Too many such tracks render The Original High not nearly as much fun as it should have been.
sasaeed@thenational.ae
