On the title track to his fourth studio album, 2020's magical and funky
Velvet,
Adam Lambert confesses that he's feeling nostalgic and suspects he's 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
Lambert's 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 that's pure
Blondie. There's 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
Chic's
Nile Rodgers on the sleek,
American Gigolo-soundtrack-ready "Roses." While
Velvet's vintage vibe is impressive, it would only be stylish window dressing if the songs weren't as catchy and inspired as they are.