Can you believe its been four years since Adam Lambert’s last studio album?
The star’s third collection The Original High was a stomping affair, packed with big beats and even bigger vocals. But following more touring with Brian May and Roger Taylor as part of Queen, it appears some of that 70s rock has rubbed off on him.
Adam’s new single New Eyes is the first proper single from his upcoming album Velvet, indicating a new era for the American Idol’s pop journey.
What’s immediately noticeable is the slower pace of the track, hearing Adam move away from the high energy of his previous material to a more dusty and dreamy pop landscape.
There are the kind of swaying rawk-ish guitars you’d have expected to hear filling the air at Woodstock, along with a striding beat that gives it an almost Wild West quality.
What will surprise fans the most, however, is how Adam restrains his electrifying vocal range.
We know that the star could send a jolt of a gazillion megawatts into the National Grid with some of his soaring falsettos, but here he keeps things remarkably contained.
© Franz Szony
Instead we get to hear the soulful depth of his vocal ability, brining out a raspy texture in parts that complements the dusky composition of the track.
While influences of prog-rock heavyweights like Pink Floyd and Rush, there’s also a more accessible, contemporary sensibility to the melody akin to big hits by Shawn Mendes and Harry Styles.
“Nah I wasn’t really seeing all the things I should see,” Adam croons in one part, before admitting on the chorus “I’ve been so good without your new eyes”.
The song appears to hear him escaping the influence of something that had him tangled up the dazed atmosphere that comes through so magnificently on the song’s production.
In an open letter to fans earlier this year, Adam explained that he has managed to pull himself out of a dark period in his life. This song very much alludes to the turmoil he has not only endured, but overcome.
New Eyes signals a new phase in Adam’s career; one that hears him thrive on the nuances in his voice by using it in a much more controlled way. Not only that, it also feels like Adam is in control full stop. This is his story, presented his way.
Of course we love the big show-stopping moments, but here there’s a dreamy, psychedelic edge to Adam’s brand of pop that we haven’t heard from him before – and that’s as exciting, if not more so.
Adam Lambert’s new single New Eyes will be available to download and stream on 15 May, while his new album Velvet will follow later this year.
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