Adam Lambert : Not for My Entertainment

Adam Lambert, of American Idol and boys kissing boys glory released the cover art for his highly anticipated album, "For Your Entertainment."

I don't know about you guys, but this cover reminds me of the many wrongs of the 80's. Lambert says he knows that the cover is ridiculous (and I couldn't agree more.) While I do appreciate his nod to cheesy glam and the trashiness of it all, but the cover's poor photoshop makes it look like my twelve year old sister could have done it. Not that glamorous.

Some fans apparently "don't get" Lambert's decidedly campy genuis, Lambert wrote on his twitter en quote:

"Thank you to those who appreciate and understand that the album cover is deliberately campy. It's an homage to the past. It IS ridiculous. For those that don't get it: oh well. Glad to have gotten your attention." He closed with, "Androgyny. Rock n roll."

To be fair, it's not his fault. American Idol covers are pretty much the cheesiest, bland, misguided covers in the bunch. Lambert has a great glam face, if he wanted to pay homage to the glam rock era of a time gone by, he should have went for it.

My remedy: Ditch the horrid graphics, hire Marilyn Minter and let the sexiness begin.

Grade: C

Playing 'Russian Roulette' with Rihanna

Way too much alliteration in the title, but I do what I can.

So, "the wait is ova" apparently, as the Rihanna machine has released her latest single, "Russian Roulette."

It's not what I was expecting at all, "Russian Roulette" is a gigantic sized ballad about a love that's dangerous. Many were probably expecting based on the title that "Russian Roulette" would have been some crazy energetic single with thumping production and some kind of trademark chorus--but no.

"Soldiers pull the trigger" she sings dramatically over Ne-Yo's swelling production and some critics are even speculating that the song is about her on/off relationship with fellow entertainer Chris Brown.


Other than the speculative subject matter and the really tacky barbed-wire boob cover shot, there's not much to say about this single. I should also mention that the single closes with a random gunshot (probably to be consistent with the title of the song) but like I said it's random. It will probably resonate with many for personal reasons, but, for a flagship single for her new album "R Rated," this single is surprisingly tame.

Cover Grade: D (Seriously BARBED WIRE! Tacky even for me.)
Single Rating : C
Average: C-

listen to it here

Britney Spears - 3 {Single Review}

"Living in sin, is the new thing."

So says the new Britney Spears single, "3." "3" is the latest single by the pop-tart Queen just in time for Jive to release a new singles collection in November. But it's only been a couple of years since the last Britney collection, "My Prerogative." Even if she's in a mess, Ms.Spears can churn out synthy dance singles like it's never going to go out of style.

"3" is not a departure from Britney's latest pop style. It's cool, detached and choppy with a production that borders on schizophrenia thanks to long time producer, Max Martin. Martin also helped Spears with the outrageously silly, school-yard neumonic device "If U Seek Amy" (do we really have to spell out what it means?) and "3" is no different. The single might strike up controversy, which is nothing new to Britney's brand of pop. The pop star is flirting with the idea of a menage-a-trois, even going as far as alluding that Peter, Paul and Mary were "getting down with 3."

I wouldn't say that.

The single doesn't stand out though apart from it's subject matter. We're used to Ms.Spears discussing sex, more sex and the possible idea of sex. That's what makes her songs really addictive, while not outright implicit, the idea is there. It's something that her entire career has been marketed by. The vocal production of "3" continues the trend of editing her vocals so much that the line between the effect and her actual voice is almost unrecognizable. Martin stretches her vocals it as far as she can go. Musically, she's stepping up her game with the sole new single from the singles collection, trading in pop stylings for a very aggressive dance stomp. In the clubs it won't be so much a suggestion but an outright demand.

What I've come to enjoy about Ms.Spears releases is that they mark a cultural zeitegeist, love her or hate her, the sexual political atmosphere of America can be summed up in a Britney song.

The only question is how long can her career sustain on being the proverbial tease?

Rating: C


Listen to it here