Adam Lambert should have won American Idol in 2009. The guy can sing and he had show-stopping power even then.
And now on his follow-up to debut For Your Entertainment, he's back bigger, bolder, and sounding more accomplished.
If anything there is less of the theatrics and dramatics Lambert became well-known for, musically and in concert.
But it's not as if he's reined it in, just channelled his energy towards the songs, which are still glam and poptastic but gutsy rather than flamboyant and flashy.
Stand-outs include Shaky, with its subtle Prince-sounding funk guitar (courtesy of guest player Nile Rodgers), a stomping P-funk groove, and the two-way wail of Lambert and Australian pop singer and producer Sam Sparro; and the snappy and propulsive pop of Kickin' In, co-written with Neptune's wunderkind Pharrell Williams.
