Velvet＜Translucent Vinyl＞

On the title track to his fourth studio album, 2020s magical and funky Velvet, Adam Lambert confesses that hes feeling nostalgic and suspects hes not the only one. A dazzling, glitter-dipped exercise in 70s disco-era funk, rock, and soul, Velvet finds Lambert pulling together all of the stylistic threads that have informed his career since he soared to fame as a runner-up on American Idol in 2009. Since then, he has built a loyal fan base with his three prior albums, all of which showcase his rich tenor vocals and penchant for Broadway-level pop theatricality. Velvet takes this celebratory penchant for the dramatic in a new and delightfully retro direction. Helping him achieve this disco-era aesthetic are a handful of savvy studio wizards including Tommy English, Butch Walker, Fred Ball, and others. Distinctly old-school in production yet still contemporary in tone, the songs on Velvet smartly build upon Lamberts modern-day glitter-icon status. The title track is a sparkling, Earth, Wind & Fire-style club jam while Superpower, with its serpentine, low-end guitar riff, brings to mind Queen circa 1980. Equally evocative, Overglow deftly marries the sleek, descending synth hook from Hall & Oates Maneater to an icy, neon-toned groove thats pure Blondie. Theres also a yearning, piano-driven ballad in Closer to You in which Lambert conjures both Ziggy Stardust-era David Bowie and classic Freddie Mercury power balladry with his throaty falsetto croon. He even gets an assist from Chics Nile Rodgers on the sleek, American Gigolo-soundtrack-ready Roses. While Velvets vintage vibe is impressive, it would only be stylish window dressing if the songs werent as catchy and inspired as they are. ~ Matt Collar

クイーンとのチャリティー曲"You Are The Champions"も記憶に新しい彼が、それに先駆けて発表したこのソロ作は、先行EP『Velvet: Side A』から連なる一枚。トミー・イングリッシュの"Superpower"、ナイル・ロジャーズとの"Roses"といったキャッチーな目玉はEPで開陳済みだが、ハード・ロック"Love Don't"や幻想的な"On The Moon"、しめやかな終曲"Feel Something"などの初出曲もより繊細な〈Side B〉を伝える好曲揃いだ。
bounce (C)出嶌孝次