1.13.13 Adam on album 3, we start guessing

My two cents on Trespassing -- I do not judge the success of an album based on sales. Many of my favorite albums did not sell well. And many amazing songs were not hits because the timing was just wrong. For example, Etta James "At Last" peaked at #47 on the US Chart (all radio airplay in 1961).

I think there are a few gaps in terms of mainstream commercial success in the US and Canada.

> The album does not have a clear target market beyond committed Adam Lambert fans. It is not a dance album, it is not a funk album, it has some mid-tempo ballads. Adam's natural target market is adult women, but Cuckoo is a song that appeals to young teens. Generally, high selling albums appeal to genre buyers. That is why true multi-genre albums are rare.

> The album is very personal. Adam has said so in many interview. Adam's experience is not the same experience that his target audience has -- see above Adult Women.

> "Cuckoo" would have been my pick for single #2 but that is a teen pop song not representative of the album and not consistent with his big hit and signature song, WWFM.

Perhaps RCA could have done more with the album, but I am not sure. The first two singles got airplay, and BTIKM was #18 on the Adult Pop Airplay chart. That airplay did not convert into sales.

In retrospect, and knowing what didn't work, I guess it would have been better if they....

Dec 2011 - released Cuckoo online and promote over the holidays on streaming media with a buzzworthy video. Yes, with the straight jacket.

<Do NOT put NCOE on the album.>

March 2012 - release "Is This Love" as the lead single. Yes, I put a new track on the album. If they want Adam to sign a reggae song, make it a good one!!

May 2012 - release the album without NCOE, nclude Runnin' and Nirvana on the main album. Make Underneath a bonus track and add two new tracks.

Note: It is not that I do not appreciate Underneath, but it does not work well in the midst of the main album.

My tracklisting:

1. "Trespassing" Adam Lambert, Pharrell Williams Pharrell Williams 3:29
2. "Cuckoo" Lambert, Oliver Goldstein, Bonnie McKee, Josh Abraham, Anne Preven Abraham, Oligee, U-Tern (add) 3:03
3. "Shady" (featuring Nile Rodgers and Sam Sparro) Lambert, Lester Mendez, Sparro Mendez 3:00
4. A NEW SONG BY ADAM + SAM SPARRO
5. "Kickin' In" Lambert, P. Williams Pharrell 3:17
6. "Naked Love" Benjamin Levin, Ammar Malik, Dan Omelio, Goldstein, Abraham Abraham, Oligee 3:23
7. "Pop That Lock" Lambert, Josh Crosby, Lesley Roy, Robert Marvin, Nate Campany Marvin, Crosby 3:14
8. COVER - "Is This Love" Marley
9. "Broken English" Lambert, Mendez, Sparro Mendez 3:38
11. "Chokehold" Lambert, Goldstein, McKee, Abraham Abraham, Oligee 3:51
12. "Outlaws of Love"
13. "Nirvana"

Bonus tracks
"Underneath" Crosby, Catt Gravitt, Tom Shapiro, Lambert Crosby, Marvin 4:09
"Better Than I Know Myself" Gottwald, Joshua Coleman, Claude Kelly, Walter Dr. Luke, Cirkut, Ammo 3:36
"Take Back"

Not on my album -- what were they thinking:
"Never Close Our Eyes" Bruno Mars, Phillip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Lukasz Gottwald, Henry Walter Dr. Luke, Cirkut, The Smeezingtons 4:08

Not a big deal to fans, but a big deal to the straight conservative radio pds that were looking for a perfect reason not to expose the 'evil gay' that might turn their kids gay.

Anyway the sequence of these occurences were very telling and all they were interested for weeks after that was 'the finland incident'. If you read one of my posts, I did mention that one radio dj - @billyontheradio was demonstrating how he felt the event went in finland, embarrazing and practically making fun of Adam. I remember his first promo visit for the single in the US then at ryransecreast station was also about that and how he had so old fans. That shows although, it might not have meant anything to you, it did mean something to some of those fat radio pds/djs.