Is Adam Lambert a flash-in-the-pan artist whose art will fade with the memory of his glory days on American Idol? Or is it the “New Messiah” of rock, a second coming of glam-rock from Elvis himself?
From Hollywood to the Bible belt, a surefire way to start an argument these days is to say the name: “Adam Lambert.” One thing is certain: whether you are a fervent Adam fan or an enemy, talking about him and his art will always elicit strong, passionate and disparate responses.
Who buys Lambert’s debut album or not, and why, is another fascinating debate. Lambert has one of the most amazing voices in the history of the recording industry. It has a great lyrical feel and wonderful musical tone and tone. Vocally, Lambert can jump from the low vocal register to lead and falsetto, faster and smoother than he can pronounce the name of his vocal coach: Ron Anderson. His live performances of “Whole Lotta Love” have shown that he can sing Zeppelin louder than Robert Plant. And his Idol forays into the Aerosmith song catalog have shown that he can come face to face with Steven Tyler, vocally and as a rock god and provocateur. Lambert literally has the voice, the look, and the delivery to restore classic rock as a culturally relevant and commercially viable genre of music.
So why all the fuss? Oh yeah, about the American Music Awards. You know, where during his virgin AMA performance, Lambert stuck his face into the crotch of a male backing musician and French kissed another guy. Sex (and sexual positions) is nothing new for rock. From Elvis to Jim Morrison to Mick Jagger to Tyler, a scandalous sexual image has always been a prerequisite for the stature of a rock god and the controversy of a rocker’s constant groupie. And, since the days of Elvis and Little Richard, each generation of rockers has become more liberated and sexually suggestive in their performance on stage.
So why the outrage? The answer is that there seems to be a double standard in rock-pop music. It’s great to show your sexuality, if you are straight. But it’s not that great, in fact it’s downright annoying and uncomfortable for a lot of people, if a gay artist plays sexually for his select congregation. And Lambert is an avowed young gay man. Gay pride aside, Lambert recklessly let his sexual identity overshadow his vocal performance and AMA career. A lot of us straight people don’t really care that he’s gay. But we were disappointed that he did not deliver the merchandise to the AMA.
So is public outrage over Adam’s sexuality the reason another reality variety show contestant, Susan Boyle, is outselling Lambert by more than 8 to 1 in her debut album sales? Boyle’s debut album has sold more than eight million units and counting. Released last November, Lambert’s “For Your Entertainment” album had sold about 600,000 copies in the United States in January 2010. That’s a respectable sales figure for most new artists. Especially in these days of declining record sales, illegal CD downloads, and piracy. But Lambert is no ordinary artist. He looks like an androgynous son of Elvis, with the voice of a futuristic rock god. He just doesn’t have the sales record of a superstar. And many people wonder why.
The answer is twofold: in fact, there has been a cultural divide and backlash against Lambert from Bible Belters and the religious right. His reaction to Lambert’s AMA is no different than what happened after Elvis turned his hips on the Ed Sullivan show. Now, how American fans burned their Beatles records after John Lennon proclaimed that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus Christ.” You make controversial statements or take suggestive actions, as a public figure, and live with the consequences.
For a new artist, RCA gave Lambert WAY too much artistic freedom on his first album. With the exception of “What Ya Want from Me”, the songs are not particularly well written or memorable. Most importantly, the album lacks an “iconic song”, ala Tina Turner and “What’s love got to do with it?” “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John or “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles. Exclusive songs are those that instantly make you think of the artist when they play on the radio. Not only do they sell millions of records, they create lasting careers for recording artists. One simple reason why Susan Boyle’s album is outselling Lambert by such a wide margin is that Boyle mostly sang standards, or played with his strength, with the exception of his odd rendition of the Stones’ “Wild Horses.” Meanwhile, Lambert, RCA and their management team committed a plethora of “branding” and artist marketing sins.
It is true that, through his own artistic diversity and controversial actions, Lambert has not made branding and marketing his image an easy task for his guardians. By nature, actions and diversity, Lambert challenges a good fit into the marketing category of any record label or the genre-specific playlist of a radio show director. That hurt his game on the radio. What has affected album sales. Like their behavior.
These serious mistakes – bad branding, the lack of a “flagship song”, confusing art direction, and predictable song production values, coupled with Lambert’s decision to market his sexuality before his art, have created a dilemma that would have killed. to a minor. artist career. And in doing so, Lambert, RCA and their management team have challenged a long-standing marketing paradigm of ALL GREAT successful artists.
First, you create a strong fan base in ONE particular genre. You build that foundation and expand the artist’s range and genres over various albums and years. Never intentionally reveal potentially harmful personal attributes that could affect your record sales. And, if personal conscience, alcohol, or an act of God prompts you to make a sensitive personal revelation, you wait until you’re an established platinum artist. Lambert’s team had some classic examples to follow, but they didn’t.
Elton John built a large fan base on the strength of his great songwriting with Bernie Taupin, and his identifiable singing and piano skills through his debut album “Tumbleweed Connection.” That album and “Madman Across the Water” were widely accepted by a diverse audience. It wasn’t until several albums and years later that John “came out”, first alluding to being bisexual and then becoming a celebrated icon of gay glam-rock. And by then, he had sold millions of albums to a loyal and adoring fan base, gay and straight, who cared no less about their sexuality.
And while more theater-laden performers like Queen’s Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Mick Jagger androgynously straddled the fence of homosexuality and bisexuality in the 1970s and 1980s, they ALL established a broad fan base, before they your sexual inclinations and preferences. it was made public.
Lambert, by nature, appears to be a lightning rod for controversy. First, he performs in various musical genres that have traditionally been mutually exclusive domains. Forget Christians against non-Christians. Many alternative rockers honestly loathe classic rockers. Many classic rockers avoid alternative rockers and dismiss pop-rock dance artists as “sold-out cowards.” And a great number of alternative and classic rockers despise electronic dance-oriented pop-rock dance acts like Depeche Mode. Fans of these divergent types of music are rarely seen at a single rock or pop concert. And when it does, the interaction is rarely peaceful. But Adam, through his many musical muses, and perhaps with the futility of Obama trying to win over Republicans, inexplicably tries to “bring them all together.”
But sometimes even dreamers have to face reality. And the reality is this. Adam Lambert has to take some responsibility for his modest record sales. You need to learn from the mistakes of the past, not repeat them. And artistically, you need to choose a lane. Defining their art can be more liberating than restricting, although immature and irrelevant artists often struggle against that truth, rather than searching their hearts and souls, learning their craft, and ultimately finding their own voices and messages.
Another reality is the following: the public that buys music is a short-sighted and fickle group, more driven in their buying habits by fashions and popular trends, than by taste or discretion. So to Adam, and any other aspiring young recording artist, our plea here at “Room A & R” is this: Stop making this complicated music business more complicated than it already is!
Be original. Choose an artistic musical lane. Show us your true self and we will accept or reject you on your own merits – project your art and be proud of it, whether you are an alternative rocker, classic rocker, electronic dance artist, Broadway musical singer or whatever. . What music lovers don’t need, and won’t reward, is another ambivalent musical from Houdini in makeup.
By: Larry Cox (http://theaandrroom.blogspot.com/) © 2010
