Adam Lambert - High Drama

by Nick Dent-Robinson

published: 20 / 3 / 2023

Label: Rhino
Format: CD

Eclectic but hit and miss covers album from Adam Lambert, who is also the current frontman of Queen

Review

Adam Lambert impressed many when he took Freddie Mercury's role on last year's tour with Queen. He managed to impose his own personality whilst respecting the band's legacy with Brian May and Roger Taylor - and in several interviews Brian May could not praise Lambert highly enough. Lambert's solo career has, however, been far less successful in the UK. The 41 year-old American's fourth - and experimental - album 'Velvet' failed to make the Top 50 here on its release in 2020 and other records have failed to win him commercial success or critical acclaim. But Lambert is now a regular panel-member on ITV's prime-time Saturday night show 'Starstruck' and his profile is higher than before. So there is greater expectation around his new album, 'High Drama'. The record is an eclectic mix of covers - which suits Lambert well as he was originally trained in musical theatre in America. The new album puts the onus on Lambert's wide range and power, though his full-throttle Broadway-style delivery doesn't leave much scope for tenderness. And, like many covers albums, 'High Drama' is a mixed bag. It opens with a glam-rock version of Bonnie Tyler's 'Holding Out For A Hero' and a bombastic and blustery take on Sia's 2014 number, “Chandelier”. These two tracks justify the title of the album! But Lambert does assert his individuality with some novel arrangements of other tracks. Culture Club's 'Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?' is neatly transformed from breezy 80s pop-reggae into restless electronica. And indie-rock anthem 'Sex On Fire', originally by Kings of Leon, is given an interesting falsetto-voiced makeover more reminiscent of Prince or Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn. Pink's 'My Attic' still has a campfire folk feel and Lambert adds real 1970s-style rock muscle to Lana Del Rey's 'West Coast which works well. Intriguingly, Lambert also grafts 'Bohemian Rhapsody'-style harmonies on to Billie Eilish's “Getting Older'. This not only reaffirms Adam Lambert's versatility but also underlines Billie Eilish's precocious and formidable songwriting talent!

Track Listing:-

1 Holding Out For A Hero
2 Chandelier
3 Ordinary World
4 Getting Older
5 I Can't Stand The Rain
6 West Coast
7 Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?
8 Sex On Fire
9 My Attic
10 I'm A Man
11 Mad About The Boy