Adam Lambert would be another boring ‘Idol’
He may well win, but he’s self-indulgent and not particularly creative
Adam Lambert will probably win “American Idol,” will probably get a ton of attention, and then will probably not become a huge star. There is a reason why melodramatic cast albums do not generally top the charts. (probably because that music isn’t played on mainstream radio)
COMMENTARY
By Linda Holmes (aka Miss Alli, the acerbic Television Without Pity moderator.)
msnbc.comIt’s certainly impossible to argue with Adam Lambert’s popularity. He’s the only “American Idol” contestant this year to win over a critical mass of wildly devoted fans who already think he’s one of the most important musicians of his generation, even if their experiences with him are limited to a handful of cover songs.
It’s also impossible to argue with the fact that he’s an extremely talented guy. He reaches for notes he can’t hit from time to time, but for the most part, he’s a very solid singer, and he can certainly do things with his yowling, screeching voice that most people can’t.
He just deploys his talent in a way that isn’t particularly interesting.
For all the discussion of Adam’s originality and freshness and relevance, his aesthetic is an inky-haired, nail-polished cliché — perhaps appealing and perhaps not, but certainly nothing you couldn’t see in New York, Seattle, or, for that matter, Akron. The sulky glower, the whimper-face, the moaning, the Sad Elvis sneer … there’s nothing wrong with it, per se, but to praise it as particularly creative screams, “I do not watch MTV.”
And note that his otherwise contemplative performance of “Mad World,” rightly praised as technically skilled, eventually turned into the same irritating wail he employs every week. Everything crescendos to that nasal “nyaaaah” sound, every week.
If you are to be a singer, then at some point, you have to just come on stage and sing a song. Not as a character, not as a caricature, not doing shtick, not doing a bit. You have to be able to reliably convey something genuine and organic other than “I am a good singer.” Otherwise, what you are doing is the equivalent of an extremely well-executed painting of dogs playing poker. No matter how talented you are, your talent isn’t much good to anyone if it’s spilled in pursuit of the self-conscious irony of his “Play That Funky Music” performance.
It burns, burns, burns!
In many ways, the Lambert die was cast with his performance of “Ring Of Fire” during country week. If you liked the way he tried to play the “doesn’t this sound vaguely Eastern, and therefore more daring?” game with the arrangement, if you dug the fingerless gloves, if you liked the way he flicked his eyes at the camera as if checking out its derriere and then reached out to it with his spindly fingers attempting to draw it into his evil lair, if you didn’t mind that he transformed a contemplative song about trying to avoid unwise intimate behavior into a song apparently sung in the throes of unwise intimate behavior, then you are probably still a fan.But if you still laugh out loud at the fact that the word “self-indulgent” has ever been applied to many “Idol” performances but was not unanimously screamed in the direction of that one, and if you sort of thought the way he said “it burns, burns, burns” made it sound like love is less a burning thing and more a scaly rash? Then you probably have not yet come to appreciate him.
Adam Lambert has many things to recommend him as the horse to bet on, including the fact that nobody else on “Idol” this season is really any better, particularly from a creative standpoint. But before anyone goes anointing him some kind of highly marketable future star, take another look at that performance of “Ring Of Fire,” and ask yourself whether you’d hear that on the radio.
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Adam Lambert is an overworked cliche and his music is incredibly average at best. You know what burns me? The fact I work at a music store and am forced, by corporate, to listen to his talentless act eight times a day. Is it enough to make me quit? No. But it’s enough to make me take pity on anyone who actually buys into that gimmick.
It has nothing to do with his sexual orientation, but relies entirely on the fact his talent is pretty much limited to a glorified karaoke show. Which he didn’t even win. Alicia(Quote)
well this has resurfaced and hmmm I think you can see how you were a tiny bit off base. (sarcasm) “But before anyone goes anointing him some kind of highly marketable future star”
Boring??!!! not a marketable future star???!!! Wow Well go ahead and watch Adam’s meteoric rise continue — oh you were right about one thing, he didn’t win… Kathy(Quote)
Adam is talented. Just cuz you have hearing problems you don’t write about it him. Rubz(Quote)
You are all stupid and wrong u IDIOTS !!
ADAM IS THE FIRST SINGER THAT IS WAY DIFFERENT FROM ANYBODY ELSE..
YOU HAVE HEARING PROBLEMS – HE IS TALENTED AND HE IS NOT BORING.
GET A LIFE YOU STUPID COW AND DON’T BE MEAN TO ADAM LAMBERT.
JUST CUZ U ALL CAN’T SING! Fkiz(Quote)
I beleive that he will be a really big star as long as he comes up with some amazing work and performances. who knows… he might be the next king of music
payday loans(Quote)
He is getting boring and predictable because he only has 2 styles. Shreiking drag queen and not quite as shreiking drag queen. Star(Quote)
He will probably win because that’s who AI wants to win, so he most likely will.
I have no interest at all in him, but I’m sure he will be successful in his own right. I just hope there is room for both himself and his ego on a stage. Sharon(Quote)
You said a piehole fill! This is exactly what I am so fucking tired of seeing in the clubs. It’s the same thing, only now it’s on my tv. Every week! What’s so special or creative about him? He’s just another fauxpunkemodragqueen who can sing. Although he does sing pretty good man, he just doesn’t sing THAT good. He is WAAAY too staged. NFW(Quote)
You are RIGHT. You cannot argue with Adam Lambert’s popularity. We are wild over him here in Asia. You are RIGHT. He is extremely talented and diversified. He has brought NEW HEIGHTS to music and singing that many people has never heard before. But then you are WRONG. He IS NOT BORING. Please reserve this for your own opinion. He has BROUGHT tears and hopes to my life. I am still hopping MAD from his Mad World performances and has to rewind back almost 50 times a day listening to it. I have him on my mobile, desktop etc. Am I MAD? DEFINITELY! I slept with his songs. Just his one note nERvous is enough to create a thread discussing on this.
ADAM LAMBERT IS CURRENT. ADAM LAMBERT IS THE NEXT ADAM LAMBERT. He only comes “once in a blue moon”. God, I love that guy. Thanks! Ladyasia(Quote)
This is a diatribe from a hack who knows nothing about todays music and even less about talent! ‘Would I hear Ring of fire on the Radio ? ” Well, the other day I heard this ( in monotone to literally a broken record”.
‘walk down the block and theres a MF’ing cop.. I stopped took a shot..and now thats a dead MF’ing cop…Dead MF’er, Dead MF’er, Dead Dead Dead MF’er’ tomflush(Quote)