music

Adam Lambert, "For Your Entertainment" (19/RCA Records)

To point out Lambert's boutique addiction is to reinforce a gay stereotype, but the "American Idol" runner-up enjoys playing around with preconceived notions, and that includes proudly showing that there's depth and self-awareness beyond those stereotypes. Lambert's other clear goal as a newly minted pop star is to celebrate all aspects of the word "play": pleasure, performance, flirtation, virtuosity, masquerade.

That's what he does on this quickly assembled yet purposeful major label debut. Stylistically, it shows Lambert running loose like a kid in a Comme des Garçons store. With the Hollywood pop A-list at his disposal, he chose to go for it all. The results are inevitably mixed, but never a bummer; he's deft enough to avoid getting stuck in any of the tropes he explores.

On many tracks, he puts on the style of his more seasoned collaborators. He's pleading and soulful on the Pink co-write, sneering on the song Rivers Cuomo tossed his way, moody when it comes to parsing Muse and appropriately silly on the neo-glam crusher penned for him by Justin Hawkins of the Darkness. Versatility is Lambert's strategy here, one he might consider changing in the future -- when the material's second-rate, it sinks him a bit. The song co-written by "Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi only goes halfway in expressing the healthy carnality he champions. Much better is "Fever," gifted him by his soulmate Lady Gaga, which Lambert offers as a straight-ahead, guilt-free cry of love.

Lambert resorts to the basics in his wardrobe to come back to himself as a performer. The killer wail is his little black dress -- when in doubt, he always can return to those Olympian high notes -- and a nod and a wink make up his casual ensemble. When Lambert does work to be heartfelt, he tends to lay back. Two outstanding tracks -- "Broken Open," which he co-wrote, and Linda Perry's "A Loaded Smile" -- are calmly rendered ballads that blend the ethereal lushness of Eurodisco with the upwardly mobile elegance of the New Romantics. It would be great to hear a whole album from Lambert exploring this way of reworking pop balladry.

ANN POWERS, LOS ANGELES TIMES

Rihanna, "Rated R" (Def Jam)

"To those of you who think you can take it, we say welcome to the Mad House." The opening monologue, intoned by a sinister sounding voice, sounds a little ridiculous, the introduction to a low-rent slasher movie. But the trauma Rihanna addresses on her fourth studio album is a good deal more jarring than that cheesy prelude.

The 21-year-old Barbados native has graduated from the light dance-pop of "SOS" and "Umbrella" to a sound a good deal darker and harder. How could she not? Her romance with R&B singer Chris Brown ended in a violent argument last February that left Rihanna bloodied and bruised. It's impossible not to hear the anger and hurt in her voice.

The album, written and produced by top-tier collaborators such as Ne-Yo, Justin Timberlake, the Dream, Tricky Stewart, will.i.am and Stargate, adds more pronounced rock guitar while the beats and orchestrations reference Goth rock and new wave as much as dance music and electro-pop.

"Russian Roulette" was a gutsy choice as a first single; it compares a relationship to a potentially fatal game of chance. Rihanna's voice is a delicate instrument, often the least interesting element in her productions. But on this track, she's squarely in the center of the action. A sparse piano-and-synth backdrop plays out over a heartbeat bass line, framing her story. She gives it a dramatic reading worthy of its jarring conclusion: an audible shiver followed by the sound of a gun shot. Nothing else on the album can top that song, but they certainly complement it, and make its startling conclusion feel sadly inevitable.

GREG KOT, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Shakira, "She Wolf" (Epic)

Although this album is full of sleek dance-pop music, Shakira's lyrics avoid the genre's usual clichés. The Colombian singer/songwriter is surprisingly specific about her romantic fantasies in "Men in This Town," singing: "Is there a prince in this fable for a small-town girl like me?/ The good ones are gone or not able, and Matt Damon's not meant for me." "Give It Up to Me," with production by Timbaland and a playful rap by Lil Wayne, is an irresistible fusion of pop and hip-hop. But the most notable collaborators are Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo (aka the Neptunes), who add propulsive electro-pop beats to six tracks.

JAY LUSTIG, NEWARK STAR-LEDGER