Adam Lambert is doing things a little differently this time around.
Two albums deep with RCA, the singer decided to part ways with the record label after refusing to record a covers album (good on him for that), signing instead with Warner Bros. Records for his next venture.
And this new one, at least on paper, sounds incredibly promising.
The Original High, his third studio album (the title of which he just announced moments ago), will be executive produced by Shellback and Max Martin. Together, the two Swede-pop superstar producers crafted his best early hits: “Whataya Want from Me” and “If I Had You” off of 2009’s For Your Entertainment.
And as far as the new music is concerned, Glambert is toning things down for a “more grounded” approach:
I wanted something more internal and more grounded. A little less with the theatrical and the camp and the presentation. I wanted to bring it in a bit more. Being on the road with a British rock band, and being in London a lot this year, rehearsing with them and doing TV gigs, I think that has affected my sound and where we are headed with it. [Europe] is very ahead of the curve, or right on, and I was definitely influenced by that. Vocally, it’s very intimate compared to what I’ve done in the past. There is a little bit of a daring, deeper internal conflict and poetry about it.
…But he’s not dancing around the obvious, either: He wants some real radio smashes.
I think it’s pretty clear what we’re after with these two guys. They are the masters. They are geniuses at melody. It seems so simple and it is so complex. And I love that. It’s effortless and it’s graceful. They know what the people want to hear and the best way to reach the most people is radio. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to work with them — because of their expertise in that field.
The lead single from The Original High will be released in April — and I’m really rooting for him.
Not only because he’s incredibly talented (as demonstrated from his run on Idol all the way to his stellar sets with Queen), but because, truthfully, I want a gay pop star to really, really happen in a major way. (And before anyone starts, I don’t consider Sam Smith to be a ‘pop star.’)
There’s no doubt Adam’s already a major success, but I do genuinely believe he has the potential to become an even bigger superstar than he already is. Here’s hoping.
(And here’s also hoping Kesha makes another cameo in one of his videos.)