Adam Lambert's first album since American Idol is coming out on November 23, and the cover of For Your Entertainment is stunning. Kris Allen's CD cover will definitely not look like this. Believe me, it won't.To some, it's already too much. Too touched up. Too over the top. Too glamorous. Too much Adam.
Puh-leeze! Give me a break. This is exactly an Adam Lambert album cover should be. It should be stylized and dramatic. It should take your breath away. It should push the envelope because that's what Adam did in his entire American Idol experience.
When faced with a chance to play it safe, Adam never did. You know the expression, "Go big or go home"? That was Adam Lambert on Idol. He may have come in second to Kris, but he made a bigger impression.
It wouldn't have been like Adam Lambert if this CD cover was just a handsome photograph from a fashion shoot. He could have done that. He's a good-looking guy. In a suit and a tie with his hair slicked back, he looks like the gorgeous Elvis (the one before the Vegas jumpsuits).
But when you recall that Adam was inspired just as much by the likes of a David Bowie, this cover makes perfect sense. Bowie was an artist who put on glitter and assumed characters and danced with sexuality and assumptions. His music was complex and exciting, and you never knew what to expect from him. He was enigmatic in the the best way.
Lambert's decision to be outrageous on this cover means he wants to be more than just our expectations based on his American Idol performances. This cover is glam; the next might be as stark as an Ansel Adams photograph.
The album cover is only a calling card. The inside of For Your Entertainment -- which reminds me of "Let Me Entertain You" from the Broadway show Gypsy -- includes Adam collaborating with a lot of top talent like Ryan Tedder, Linda Perry, Pink, Ferras, Rob Cavallo and Lady Gaga.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-28-2009 @ 3:46PM
unc69dmo said...
Where's the album cover from that super stiff that won?
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10-28-2009 @ 4:27PM
Meh plus said...
It looks just like any of the other cds in cutout bins everywhere, which is where it will be this time next year.
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10-28-2009 @ 5:35PM
Ryan said...
It looks like 1/4th of Poison's first album cover to "Look What the Cat Dragged In."
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10-28-2009 @ 9:15PM
Michael said...
HAHAHAHA... my thoughts exactly Ryan!
10-28-2009 @ 6:26PM
ac said...
Is it just me or does he look like Pink with black hair in that pic?
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10-28-2009 @ 7:21PM
Jeff said...
With songs by Muse, Lady Gaga and Dr. Luke on this album and scores of international and US sales already in the bag only out-of-the-loop morons would think this album won't sell. I'm talking to you @meh.
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10-28-2009 @ 7:26PM
SadOne said...
Oh please. Muse wouldn't give a song to someone who can't sing. Get past the homophobic bull and just listen to the album. Lambert is doing what musicians used to do: pushing the boundaries, making people talk and think and doing it all on his terms. Have we become so benign as a listening audience that the John Mayers of the world have won? So dulled by radio that new music and new voices aren't worth a listen because of sexual orientation.
All of you haters sound like your freaking grandparents.
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10-29-2009 @ 1:26AM
jrd said...
What "homophobic bull"?
10-28-2009 @ 7:33PM
Meh plus said...
It might sell initially, then the guy will fall off the radar. Just like the other AI make-a-celeb product. I'm talking to you Jeff.
I also laugh loud and long at those that have to drag out their whiny pc terms. "Oh please", indeed.
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10-28-2009 @ 7:37PM
Captain Awesome said...
Just FYI, Kris Allen's album cover has been out for a couple weeks. And no, it does not look like the hot mess that is the Lambert cover.
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11-06-2009 @ 9:04PM
Lucy said...
No, it certainly doesn't look like Adam's campy, cool, fresh album cover. It looks like some dopey, boring, run-of- the-mill-coffee-house-singer-whose-mommy-took-a-crappy-picture album cover.
10-28-2009 @ 7:56PM
Argus said...
David Bowie pushed the envelope, Lambert looks like Pink with blue hair. There is a difference.
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10-28-2009 @ 10:28PM
steveg said...
Are you all talking about it? Seems like a success to me.
10-28-2009 @ 11:20PM
gini said...
Please guys, it's just a cd cover! Who cares? It's what's inside!
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10-29-2009 @ 7:12AM
chickc said...
So far, I'm not in tune with the cover, but with this much talent behind the songwriting and Adam's ability to inject his own style into the songs, it should be hot. There's alotta hype behind this guy because he has one of the biggest fan followings ever from Idol. So, the expectations are high. I'm gonna say, "Lets not judge a CD by its cover" and wait and see if he delivers the goods.
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10-29-2009 @ 9:29AM
rick cokely said...
I think the cover is perfect and it matches the album. He's doing an 70's/80's disco type CD and the cover easily conveys that. When I first looked at it the first thing that popped into my mind was Heart and Total Eclipse and Stevie Nicks. I'm pretty sure that's exactly what he was going for and I love it.
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10-30-2009 @ 8:49AM
Nate said...
I agree with what Allison wrote in the article. This cover screams Adam Lambert, and if you dont like it, I have a feeling Adam doesnt want you listening to the damn thing anyhow. Adam has the strength and the self-assurance to be who he is without conforming to anyones expectations. To me, that is commendable. The music scene has been stale and boring for too long now. Maybe it takes someone outrageous who is also talented, like Adam and also Lady Gaga, to shake things up and bring some excitement back into music. There is way to much pap, rap and crap out there nowadays, and I for one welcome a change.
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12-27-2009 @ 11:54AM
Sue B said...
I do not think the right person won Idol, but it doesn't matter anymore. Adam is brilliant, his album is fantastic and he is going to have a fantastic career. Kris is a nice, good looking guy with a nice voice and good musical skills. I do think he needs the American Idol label, so he doesn't get lost in the pack, and I hope his career is successful as well.
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