Velvet: Side A

The first half of a planned full album, 2019s Velvet: Side A finds former American Idol runner-up and current Queen frontman Adam Lambert embracing his 70s funk, disco, and glitter-rock influences with believable pomp and swagger. The six-track EP comes four years after Lamberts third studio album, The Original High, and features co-songwriting and production by a handful of savvy pop wizards including Tommy English, Butch Walker, Fred Ball, and others. Knowingly retro yet still modern, the songs on Velvet: Side A make the most of Lamberts persona as a modern-day glitter-pop icon. The opening Superpower is a slinky, bass-heavy anthem that wouldnt sound out of place on a Jamiroquai album. Similarly, Overglow borrows the sleek, descending synth hook from Hall & Oates Maneater and marries it to an icy, neon-toned rhythm. Equally evocative, the piano-driven Closer to You brings to mind both Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie and classic Freddie Mercury power balladry as Lambert moves from a breathy mid-range croon to a throaty falsetto with ease. Rounding out the EP is funked-out 80s cowbell groover Loverboy and the theatrical Ready to Run, which sounds like a Sam Smith song with 100 percent more stink-face guitar, a combination that works perfectly with Lamberts winking sense of rock opera drama. Whats particularly nice about Velvet: Side A is how it draws upon all of the vintage, vinyl-age aesthetics that have long informed Lamberts sound without coming off as pastiche. These are sleek songs that give you what you paid for: Lamberts powerful vocals and equally powerful personality. ~ Matt Collar

4年ぶりの新作は、A/B面の連作EPになった模様。ハウスやシンセ・ポップに寄せた前作への反動か、今回は自分が聴いてきた70年代ファンクやロックのドライヴ感やエナジーを意識したそう。ジョージ・マイケルへのゴージャスなオマージュも纏った"Superpower"、当然フレディを連想させずにおかないパワー・バラード"Closer To You"など、圧倒的な歌唱あってこその堂々たる名曲集!
bounce (C)出嶌孝次