5.16.11 Adam News & Info

Don't know if you are still around, but here is my attempt. It is a bit longer than a "little blurb" but will it help?

What is it about Adam Lambert’s voice that makes it so special? It’s many things, some tangible and some ethereal. The first thing many comment on is his range. Recordings of his voice have him singing as low as a Bb2 or a C3 (the C below middle C) and as high as A5 (close to two octaves above middle C), in full head voice, not falsetto. There are even a couple of brushes with a Bb5. Most singers are happy with a two octave range, and Lambert routinely exceeds that in performance.

But range is nothing without tone or timbre. Lambert has a pure, crystal, ringing tone to his voice throughout his range. His voice abounds with harmonics that enhance the richness of the tone. (Some even think we unconsciously respond to these harmonics resonating in our own bodies. His voice ‘feels’ good.) At will, he can darken or lighten the tone, warm it with vibrato or pierce it with a straight sound. He can seamlessly blend his tone up and down his entire range so that one cannot detect where he shifts from chest, to mixed, to head register. He can make his voice sound light and lilting, floating on the notes, or powerful and dramatic using both his head and chest register way into his upper range. People say that he belts or screams, but that is inaccurate. There is no strain, no push, no sound of effort when he wails a high note. The power comes from his use of the natural full resonance of his body and his excellent breath support in a most relaxed manner.

Another notable thing about Lambert is his ability to sing multiple styles or genres convincingly. Coming from a musical theater background, he can sing in the “legitimate” style of a Broadway star. Because of his years of serious vocal training, he can sing in a convincing operatic style as well. Few classically trained singers can shift their style to sound convincing doing pop, blues or hard rock, but Lambert assails each of these styles like a natural. Gone are the formal tones of opera, and present is the slightly gruff, raw grit of a rock singer. And he can do jazz riffs with the best of them.

Underlying this ability is the physiology he was born with --- the physiology of a great singer. Just like a beautifully crafted cello has a rich, full-bodied, honeyed resonance, so does his body. But, it is his years of training, practice and study that allow him to make the most of his instrument. To know how to shape it, how to support it, how to bend notes, elongate phrases, articulate words, add crescendos and diminuendos, and craft the song into one that touches us emotionally. Just like the cello sounds best when played by a technically accomplished musician who has great interpretation abilities.

That’s what is so remarkable about Adam Lambert’s voice. As to his ability as a performer and entertainer, we’ll save that for another day.