For those who have not caught on, mainstream corporate music is not about promoting actual art. In fact it is the exact opposite. This is why people like Diane Warren, et al are millionaires. They are paid to put out drek which is then foisted on the masses through terrestrial radio and other broadcast medium to which the people are led to believe is good...dare I say great? No! Ok there are a few actual artists that are occasionally given airtime to throw us off the scent. Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift and Adele come to mind. But for all his talent as a scout and a producer, even Pharrel kind of comes up short in the actual songwriting/composing category. He writes a good hook.
So let's look at some more golden children of cookie cutter "music"...Max Martin and Shellback. Adam Lambert should have known from his experience with them on FYE that they are not unique. They have a limited repertoire that they just rehash. Sure "Whadda Ya Want From Me" was a big hit. RCA promoted the hell out of it as eye and ear wash after the performance of the title track on the American Music Awards. Was it a great song? Not at all. In fact one of the best songs on that record was a bonus track. Thankfully Lambert included "Voodoo" on his Glamnation tour and gave the world a taste of what he and Sam Sparro could do when left alone in a studio.
To date Warner Brothers Records has released four tracks from Original High and for me they all fall flat. This is cheap, glitzy club stuff with some Dollar Store glitter shaken on it. The vocal effects are redundant. The beats are boiler-plate and the melodies simplistic. After a three year wait, hoping that Lambert would finally hit his stride and put out quality music...NOPE! He's going for the fast buck on this one and Warner, I am disappointed. From the label that gave My Chemical Romance it's huge push and now is turning Echosmith into the pop superheroes they should be...this is awful.
"Ghost Town", "Underground", "Another Lonely Night" and "Evil In The Night"? Well let's start with two titles on the same record that repeat a word? Now the lyrics? They all tell the same story...so we're going to get this emo tour about broken hearts and unrequited love? Adam...so not you!!! How did you let them take you there? The echo effects, as stated previously, way overused and the cliche finger snaps and whistling? Cheap parlor tricks. These are just some child's venture into a goth arcade penny-candy store. No meat. No potatoes. Not even real dessert. Dammit Adam!! Give me a good slice of cheesecake at least or some homemade ice cream with real fruit in it. I used to say that Adam and his art were like this mysterious Asian meal full of all kinds of exotic flavors...sweet, ,spicy, savory all on the same plate in a restaurant decked out in red silk, brocade and gold leaf. This? This is something you'd get at that scary little Chinese kiosk in the mall food court because your broke and/or in a hurry.
I'm not going to lie. My two favorite Adam Lambert songs will always be "Voodoo" and "Shady". I have met both Sam and Nile and that trio was perfection, especially when they all finally came together on the stage of the Hammerstein Ballroom. Sam is a brilliant song writer and arranger. He doesn't have to overdress the track because its fashion is gorgeous in its natural beauty. I don't think that he hasn't been signed or spun in the mainstream because he's gay but because he is so good. I had hoped and prayed for more of that.
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To anyone reading this who does not know me - I am probably too close to the situation to be objective. I do know things and it breaks my heart to see this outcome. I had high hopes for Adam. I wanted to see funky and fresh, dark and mysterious, innovative electronica. I don't mind dance and club music. As you can see I am a huge fan of Sam's and Scissor Sisters and Glitch Mob (which my son constantly razzes me for). I love pop music - William Beckett, Echosmith, We Are The In Crowd, The Ready Set, and even Bruno. Pop punk - Paramore, Fall Out Boy and Motion City Soundtrack and whatever category you want to put Kill Hannah in. If Adam had gone down any of these roads - No! He wouldn't be in the Billboard Top 10 for 20 weeks but he would maintain he integrity as a genuine artist and person. To me, this record is a sellout and I'll only listen to it on Spotify. This is $12 that will go for something else. Sorry Adam.
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