Adam Lambert’s clear goal as a newly minted pop star is to celebrate all aspects of the word “play”: pleasure, performance, flirtation, virtuosity, masquerade. That’s what he does on his quickly assembled yet purposeful major- label debut.
“For Your Entertainment” is a polished affair, but stylistically it shows Lambert running loose like a kid in a Comme des Garcons store. With the Hollywood pop A-list at his disposal, he chose to go for it all: The only names missing from his list of collaborators are those firmly in the R&B camp.
The results on “FYE” are inevitably mixed but never a bummer; Lambert is deft enough to avoid getting stuck in any one of the tropes he explores. Versatility is Lambert’s strategy, one he might consider changing — when the material’s second-rate, it sinks him. Ryan Tedder, for example, gives Lambert a real throwaway, and the song co- written by “Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi goes only halfway in expressing the healthy carnality he champions.
Much better is “Fever,” gifted him by his soul mate Lady Gaga, which Lambert offers as a straight-ahead, guilt-free cry of love. Lambert resorts to the basics in his wardrobe to come back to himself as a performer. The killer wail is his little black dress. When in doubt, he always can return to those Olympian high notes to remind listeners why it let him get to first base with them on “Idol.”
Returning to both throughout “FYE,” Lambert comes off as somewhat elusive emotionally, and that might bother some fans, especially those who wanted him to occupy a particular position (like rock’s freaky liberator or old-fashioned savior).
It’s tough to balance wit with theatricality, especially in pop, where big statements usually tend toward the earnest and sorrowful.
When Lambert does work to be heartfelt, he tends to lay back. Two outstanding tracks on “For Your Entertainment” — “Broken Open,” which Lambert co-wrote, and Linda Perry’s “A Loaded Smile” — are calmly rendered ballads that blend the ethereal lushness of Eurodisco with the upwardly mobile elegance of the New Romantics.
It would be great to hear a whole album from Lambert exploring this way of reworking pop balladry. For now, though, he’s keeping his options open.
