st220

MUSIC FEATURE

visit jbhifi.com.au/stack

FEATURE

W atching close-ups of Cher, in the audience, mopping up her tears while Adam Lambert performed his extremely moving, stripped-back version of Believe cemented something we already knew: when it comes to interpreting other people’s songs, Lambert’s untouchable. Clocking Chandelier within High Drama ’s tracklisting gave us anticipatory goosebumps, but Lambert’s version of Sia’s masterpiece still THE ASTOUNDING ADAM

High Drama by Adam

Lambert is out Feb 24 via Warner.

gains gravitas in his hands; his pulsing take on Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? wouldn’t sound out of place on a Café del Mar chillout compilation; and Sex on Fire – bass-driven and drenched in funk – is almost unrecognisable (in a good way). Is it possible that Lambert’s ongoing reign fronting Queen – belting out the incomparable Freddie Mercury’s vocal parts, night after night – has further enhanced his already-phenomenal God-given instrument? Prepare to be wowed. Lambert’s artistry knows no limits. Bryget Chrisfield

managed to exceed our wildest expectations. Whaddaya mean he can execute those yo-yoing choruses without activating his head voice!? His money notes hit like surprise pyrotechnics, and we crown Lambert melisma king. The singles he has already released from this covers album – Mad About the Boy (his cinematic title song from the 2022 doco Mad About the Boy – The Noel Coward

devastating string arrangement – reflect the High Drama Lambert serves throughout. He fully inhabits the songs, allowing his own rich life experience to colour these reimaginings. Don’t expect faithful

Lambert’s artistry knows no limits

Cher gets emotional watching Adam Lambert perform Believe at the 41st

renditions, however, since Lambert relishes the 180-degree flip: Billie Eilish’s Getting Older

Story ); his glam-rock, swaggering, Muse-like treatment of Holding Out for a Hero ; and the piano-led Ordinary World with its additional,

Kennedy Center Honours (2018)

H ave you been keeping up with Murdoc’s latest exploits as leader of his self-created sect, The Last Cult? In mysterious missives to his followers, the Gorillaz bassist says he has made drummer Russel the cult’s Seeker of Truth (which involves trying to find prophecies within TV static), assigned the role of Scholar to guitarist Noodle (she’s in charge of writing the MONKEY WANT A CRACKER?

cult’s manifesto, with the help of random product info printed on cereal boxes), and tasked frontman/vocalist/ keyboardist 2-D with digging the world’s holiest hole. Sounds about right for the lead-up to the eighth album from the virtual four-piece (created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett), Cracker Island . Featuring collabs with Thundercat, Stevie Nicks, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, Beck, and more, we’ve never been more ready to join an extremely questionable fanatic on the road to sonic nirvana. ZKR

Cracker Island by Gorillaz is out Feb 24 via Warner.

10 FEBRUARY 2023

jbhifi.com.au