First Listen Snap Judgment: Adam Lambert’s “Time For Miracles”
I don’t know if this will be pulled, but here’s the full-length version of Adam Lambert’s Time For Miracles (via VFTW)
Guess what? I don’t hate it. It’s not rewriting the history of contemporary music by any means. It’s exactly what I would expect as the first single from an American Idol contestant.
I imagine Lambert will have a different, more “glammy” sound on his debut album, but this is your standard disaster movie ballad. I often like this schlock, however, I don’t find it as awesomey-schlocky as Aerosmith’s fantastic I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing from Armageddon (aka my favorite shit movie of all time). You can’t even compare it to anything by Kenny Loggins, who will forever be the king of movie theme songs.
But Time For Miracles is very Diane Warren-esque. It’s so damn commercial and it screams THEME SONG TO BIG EXPENSIVE MOVIE WITH SPECIAL EFFECTS. I’m wracking my brain trying to recall the theme songs to crappy, big-budget blockbusters and all I can think of is Josh Groban’s theme for Troy and the shitty-ass song Faith Hill did for Pearl Harbor, which is nearly the same movie as Armagedoon, even though it takes place in WWII. (Seriously, there are some of the exact same SCENES in each movie, down to wide shots of aircraft/shuttle hangers and Liv Tyler/Kate Beckinsale sitting in “mission control” impeccably dressed.) Comparing Lambert’s Time For Miracles to those horrible songs is simple — its a helluva lot better the the other shit, but it really doesn’t move me one way or another. I don’t really, really, really want to hear it again.
Time For Miracles is your typical pop-rock power ballad. It’s a fact you cannot even attempt to argue.
This is the type of song I hope is on Lambert’s first album. It’s a few years old — Spoon’s I Turn My Camera On. I love Spoon. I would love to see him restrain his extreme soprano into something like Britt Daniel’s vocals. I’ve been a big fan of Muse for years and frankly, I hate the fact they’re now associated with that Twilight bullshit, and that people have become devoted fans of theirs only because of Twilight, Adam Lambert or both.
Adam Lambert can go bombastic every time he steps into a recording studio or up to a mic, but I hate wailers. So what if a person can hit high notes? That doesn’t make great music (see Mariah, Christina, et al). I’ve always thought Lambert would be most interesting if he reigns it in, controls it…for entire songs. Not abandoning it all together, but not always performing those glory notes.
Top Idol 
So I might be a little biased, since I think I am in love with this man (I named my cat after him…yeah, I know, kinda scary) but I really do enjoy this song. Yes, it is a stereotypical blockbuster movie song, but I think it’s really catchy and have been listening to it at leasst 5 times a day since first hearing it (yes, I know still scary). I don’t find his voice too screechy at all in it (I mean compare this with some of his AI screaming). I expect his CD to have a much different style of music overall, but I do enjoy this song as well… Just my 2 cents!
People have already begun speculating whether or not this song will stand the test of time as the other movie powerhouse theme songs have (I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing, My Heart Will Go On, There You’ll Be — this last one is the Faith Hill song from Pearl Harbor). Personally I think that, even though this is an okay song, it’s not going to have the same kind of longevity because of this one simple fact: YOU CANNOT USE THIS AS YOUR WEDDING SONG. You can’t even pull this off as a karaoke song because of the insane notes at the end.
Think about it, the lyrics might be all love-ballad-angsty and shiite like that but it’s about unrequited love not everlasting love and the title is horrible. Who the hell wants their wedding song to be called TIME FOR MIRACLES unless it’s an old frauentard who managed to snag a husband at the ripe old age of 48 and is celebrating the miracle that she won’t be dying of old age alone.
Nope, this will have a shelf life of maybe a year, even less if that 2012 movie tanks.
Faith Hill’s There You’ll Be! And thanks for providing me with the title I could not remember. That song blew. And it didn’t really have staying power.
That was so forgetable I had forgotten about it until rheatard brought it up! Ah, Faith Hill…the original Farmbot. No wonder she made such a good robot in that “Stepford Wives” remake.
*though I confess I liked her stuff before she went uber-pop with stupid “Breathe.” And I like “Mississippi Girl” since I AM one.
I gotta admit…I love that first duet she did with McGraw — It’s Your Love
Yeaaaahhh, Spoon is totally NOT up Adam’s alley (in both senses of the phrase). It’s too simple. I love Spoon also–I used to go around high school singing “Don’t You Evah” at the top of my lungs in about 9th grade and everyone thought I was nuts but I didn’t care b/c it’s awesome as anything.
But yeah.
Also I HATE THE WHOLE MUSE BY ASSOCIATION THING. UGHHHH. Damn you, Stephenie Meyer.
I would love to hear him sing a James Bond opus.
He’d make a killer Bond girl too.
Is this song cheesy? Yes, but I have to disagree with you on Mr Lamberts performance. This is an amazing preview as to who Adam Lambert can be. Which is anything he wants to be. He can be rock, pop, dance, opera, or alternative. His voice is one of those once in a life time things. His interpretation of this song and the arrangement gave me chills and at times moved me to tears. I can only imagine when I am at the theater it will be nothing short of amazing. I actually love it when singers wail and no one wails like Adam Lambert. The theme song for a big blackbuster like 2012 needs a big song and big voice to match it. Mr. Lambert has just blown open the doors to his career and it will be nothing short of phenomenal.
Idletards gone? I hope this is one sick joke! I need my daily dose of L Anne and such. Oh the pain please smartie come back…………
*Going through withdrawels while pulling hair*
If Celine Dion was singing this song I would be rolling my eyes and holding back vomit. Instead it’s Adam and I’m all giddy with excitement. This song probably sucks, but I will never know that because my judgment is all cloudy with lust. As for Top Idol’s song choice for Adam—I agree, that is a good sound for him.
Whoa…wait…a Glambert agrees with me?
YES!!! See? I told everyone I didn’t hate him. Plus. he’s a burner, so I just can’t…the hard-core ones don’t get it…
But that song puts the M in mediocre…oh christ, amazing Phil Ivey ads, I’m such a dork…
Whoa there sister don’t slap that moniker on me just yet. I lust but I don’t squee.
So I wrote this whole long thing about how whatever voice a person has doesn’t really matter if he/she doesn’t get the right songs and how it’s harder for a non-songwriter to get good songs cuz the better singer/songwriters (like, say, Britt Daniel of Spoon) keep them for themselves. And how Lambert will have a hard time rising above the mediocrity of the material he’s given to work with or finding better material. And basically you should just go watch this video, since it demonstrates what a singer/songwriter with freakish range is capable of:
Does it make me more or less cool that I became a fan of Spoon after “I Turn My Camera On” was part of the “Veronica Mars” soundtrack?
I have TFM stuck in my head at the moment, but I’m commenting only because OMG I LOVE SPOON and I just have to pop in wherever I see them mentioned. I play “Stay Don’t Go” in my car whenever I have to drive my mom anywhere, because it freaks her out.
Tards love it… Worsters hate it… everything is right in the world…
I just find it hilarious that his first single is so very commercial and so not in line with what he purports to be- glam, etc. Just as you hoped he’d do Spoon-like stuff, I hoped he’d do something Patrick Wolfy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMrWcjKzajk but alas, he probably won’t.
Hideously tedious.
Smartie I can’t believe you left Idletard prior to posting fandom’s reaction to Adam’s Details magazine shoot.
http://www.ainow.org/index.php/tidbits/1139-adam-lamberts-details-magazine-cover
That would have been worth at least a blog.
I’ll miss Idletard even if I never posted. *sniff*
Wha-wha-WHAAAAAT? (/Kyle’s Mom) Shit, I don’t go to Idletard on Saturdays because it doesn’t work well on my phone. Is it gone or has Smartie just left it? Fuuuuuck…I’m kind of sad now.
I’m kind of sad too! Thanks for all of the snarky moments, Smartie.
Dearest Smartie,
So you’re pulling a http://www.firejoemorgan.com/, huh?
You were spectacular. Thanks for the gigantic frauen mammaries.
Love,
Adam
It’s okay. The verses are corny as hell. Chorus isn’t bad. The build up is nice. He gets a bit screechy, but Its just okay for me overall.
“…I hate wailers. So what if a person can hit high notes? That doesn’t make great music…” Top Idol
Before I ran out this morning, I listened to the song on Youtube. Your comments mirrored my reaction. I really was trying to like it, to remove any bias I might have due to his fans. Reined in Lambert is very nice, and I like his lower register much better than the falsetto. The song, itself, is not very impressive, nothing makes it stand out for me. In fact, I liked the promo snippet better mainly because of the editing of the movie scenes with the song. It made it seem much more gripping. TFM is a long song and doesn’t really start to let loose until the end.
This is how I feel about Adam Lambert’s vocals — very skilled technically, amazing range, but unpleasant to listen to for the most part. As you said, Top Idol, who cares if singers can hit those high notes, if the sound they produce is not pleasing to the ears.
Michael Slezak had a video up of Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia. Kelly, for me, by far, has the more pleasing vocals. I love Fantasia, but her vocals are sometimes grating. It works well with the whole Gospel/R&B vibe, but sometimes that gravelly, coarse vocal can be unpleasant.
Of course, it’s all a matter of taste and sometimes I love, love singers that really don’t sing well at all, but they have something that connects with me.
The glamberts will love everything Adam does, no matter what. I don’t hate the song, but I don’t love it either. If the movie sucks, people will be making a beeline for the exit.
I really don’t know how this song will fare. Of course, his fans will push it. I read somewhere that Oprah “supposedly” said Adam was the most requested guest for her show. I wonder who did the harrassing, I mean requesting. The most requested guest over every living celebrity/idol on the planet? Seems a bit suspect to me. His fanbase will give their life’s blood for Adam Lambert.
On my way out again, but wanted to respond to your comment. It most definitely reinforced what I was thinking.
I believe Oprah said that Adam was the most requested Reality star…I believe the episode was about Reality stars.
totally agree that this song could never be mistaken for anything but a disaster movie power ballad. Unfortunately, I can’t stand it. And this is coming from somone who got goosebumps the first time I heard that “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine! lol!
I am really looking forward to hearing Adam’s album because I am sure it will be miles apart from this… at least, I hope it is.
I don’t like Celine Dion, and My Heart Will Go On is as cheesy as they come, but…there is something about that song, mainly because of the film. Because of Leo and Kate. If My Heart Will Go On had been released on its own, sans Titanic, as just another Dion single, it would have never achieved that degree of popularity or become a still-referenced cultural juggarnaut.
I have seen Titanic once, and FF through most of it because it bored me so.
Not good enough to be bad, not bad enough to be good. Very contrived sounding Queen 70s pop rip off. But not as bad as I expected. The grannies will love it.
Melinda, I don’t totally disagree with you. I think TFM will have more impact when heard during the 2012 credits. “I Turn My Camera On” is a good song, but I want to hear Adam’s own songs. Right now, Adam’s like a kid in a candy store–spreading his wings and flying in ten different directions. I do hope he settles down and does some very controlled songs. His voice is magnificent and I want to hear more. . .
I never said I thought he should be doing covers, not at all. It was the style of the song I was referring to.