Adam Lambert does not deal in subtleties. The 2008 American Idol runner-up stormed on to the pop landscape in platform boots, glistening eye makeup and a glossily camp sound to match. On this third studio album, he’s ditched his former label’s plans for a collection of 1980s cover songs in favour of a bouncy journey through a few of the current pop-house revival’s most predictable motifs. His signature wailing vocal sounds as powerful as ever, though benefits from the odd use of restraint while songs such as The Original High and Lucy build to their fist-pumping climaxes. Songwriting producers Max Martin and Shellback – behind hits like Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood, Ariana Grande’s Problem and Lambert’s own 2009 single Whataya Want From Me – harness their hit-making skills to full effect throughout, opting for thumping basslines, earworm melodies and the slightly tired concept of love as a metaphorical drug. Turn it up before hitting the club, but look elsewhere for lyrical creativity.
