Adam Lambert was fascinating to see from the very start.
He sings the line on his debut album, “I was born with glitter on my face; my baby clothes made of leather and lace” with ease. And no other line sums up the ninth-season runner-up quite as well. Everything about him is glam rock and that’s what makes him different from all of the other idols to compete on the show. For every other idol who reinvented themselves or explored different genres, “Glambert” was himself from the very beginning. When he performed an slowed down, Arabian-inspired version of Johnny Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” to mixed reviews, he created an image for himself. And since then, he added his own flair to every song he ever performed since, causing us to fall back in love with songs we already knew for decades. His version of Michael Jackson’s “Black and White” and Tears For Tears “Mad World” are especially great.
With this album, “For Your Entertainment,” he put together a collection of sexy, party anthems and power ballads where he showed off his extraordinary pipes. No other idol can squeal quite like Lambert can, and the talent adds a little angst in his popular song “Whataya Want From Me?”
Even in the face of controversy, like when he debuted his first single during the American Music Awards, he continues to shine brighter than the idols that came before him. Getting a little carried away by suggestively dancing with both men and women on network television never looked quite as good as it did when Lambert did so. It raised awareness of the double standards openly gay performers face against the many sexually-driven pop stars and rappers of today’s popular music.
Finally, the way he officially came out to Rolling Stone magazine, saying he’s never hidden his sexuality and will not let it define him, inspired many in the gay community. He’s a huge and quite a well-placed addition to the many American Idols.