THE PARAMOUNT SESSIONS:
ADAM LAMBERT AND STEVE COOKE

DeLuxe Edition. Distributed by Gonzo UK Ltd.
CW101CD. $18.95

            This double-CD set is a distinct disappointment for fans of Adam Lambert and, possibly, Steve Cooke. Although each CD has ten numbers for each vocalist, the tracks are simply repackaged from earlier releases. Moreover, for Adam Lambert fans, the music styling and content, for the most part, predates his American Idol appearances where he was glam rock personified to the nth degree and simply stunning in his versatility and show biz flair, not to mention his sexual audacity. On this set, cut in the legendary Paramount Studio, where Led Zeppelin recorded and before Steve Cooke won the Hollywood Best Vocal Male award, Lambert is decidedly in a softer, more sentimental mode, though he does transcend the rather lame lyrics of Dublyn Jones from time to time with a soaring tenor with fussy elaborations—as in “Climb,” his first track and one of the real highlights, that is about the fall of a relationship. Plaintive yet avoiding stridency, he reveals an intrinsic musicality, as his voice comfortably fits a baritone range in “Under the Midday Sun.” Fans will love his take on “Want,” “Castleman,” and “Light Falls Away.” Unfortunately, there is too much of the same pedestrian lyrics, and though Lambert is a superb vocalist of genuine feeling and spontaneity, he is not shown anywhere near his best range in these recordings.

            Steve Cooke, who was initially a backup vocalist, also suffers. Though it is interesting to contrast his voice with Lambert’s, the moods and content are too similar to bear faithful concentration. I liked the electric guitars and the keys on the CDs, as well as his renditions of “Radio” and “Gravity,” but the packaging is awful, with glaring spelling and grammatical errors in the printed lyrics and with a repetition of the same lyric for the wrong song in one case. Caveat emptor!

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