Lambert’s 2nd is a winner

LITTLE ROCK — Adam Lambert

Trespassing

19/RCA B+

It began as it always does for any American Idol finalist - get that first album out ASAP. So to no surprise Adam Lambert’s 2009 For Your Entertainment sounded tentative, rushed. No such problems here. Lambert had time to marinate Trespassing in his glam, disco and pop-metal roots with confidence, adding touches of electronica, house and more.

The album opens strong with the stomping title tune’s hot beats, but it is Lambert’s voice unleashed that holds the ears like glue. Flashes will have listeners thinking Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury. The blazing hot-hot hot “Kickin’ In” takes a Scissors Sisters-style oeuvre even higher. “Cuckoo” delivers a hot fusion of ’80s hair metal and dance.

“Broken English” - with its oddly melodramatic and offbeat musical mix of soulful, high octane vocals; oversize pop hooks and melody; twitchy electronics and beats - shouldn’t work, but does on Lambert’s vocal strength and magnetism.

Hot tracks:

“Kickin’ In,” “Trespassing,” the sobering and tender ballad “Outlaws of Love.”

• ELLIS WIDNER

Justin Townes Earle

Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Think About Me

Bloodshot A-

Justin Townes Earle’s fifth studio album in five years betrays no evidence of exhaustion or fatigue. It has the same raw emotional intensity, if not harmonic color, of his last one,the countrified Harlem River Blues. But there isn’t really much difference between what we call country and what we call soul. The subject matter and chord changes are pretty much interchangeable; the difference lies in the instrumental approach and the attitude of the performers.

If Earle is, like ol’ Bocephus, standin’ in the shadows of a semifamous man (dad Steve Earle), he has done better than most sons in establishing himself as a voice independent of (in some ways, maybe superior to) the daddy who named him after great songwriter Townes Van Zandt. We can understand he’s working out a bit of an Oedipal drama, even as he charts his course through dark-ending streets. While Earle’s lyrics remain downbeat, he’s incorporated Stax-flavored soul and a bit of California cool jazz (a Chet Baker muted trumpet figure sneaks in).

Hot tracks:

“Am I That Lonely Tonight,” “Look the Other Way,” “Lower East Side,” “Memphis in the Rain.”

• PHILIP MARTIN

Rita Wilson

AM/FM

Decca B-

Rita Wilson, the actress and wife of Tom Hanks, gets into the music game with a collection of personal favorites from the ’60s and ’70s, including The Association’s “Never My Love,” Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” and Dave Loggins’ “Please Come to Boston.”

It’s a very personal project - some might call it a vanity project. Because of her connections, she’s able to have people like Sheryl Crow, Faith Hill and Vince Gill as background vocalists.

Wilson’s not going to rival the original versions of the songs. The simple version of The Association’s “Cherish” is a bit hard to get used to and her cover of The Supremes’ “Come See About Me” lacks punch. But her slightly husky-sounding, mellow voice is well-suited to most of the songs.

Hot tracks:

“You Were on My Mind,” “Angel of the Morning.”

• JENNIFER NIXON

Train

California 37

Columbia B+

This San Francisco pop band spins the kinds of tunes that are perfect for a windows-down, leave-it-all-behind road trip to nowhere. Just crank it up and roll, enjoy the clever wordplay and don’t berate yourself when the song that puts a grin on your mug is talking about that last stop sign in life.

The 11 tunes hit most of the thrills and bumps on the humanity highway: new love, lost love, lost friendship, repaired friendship. Taking the sting out of the crashes are sweet memories. The opening song, “This’ll Be My Year,” is a delightful history lesson juxtaposed with what was going on in the songwriters’ lives, starting in the 1980s with references to Ronald Reagan, Nintendo and Back to the Future. “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” is a hoot, with its mariachi band beat. “When the Fog Rolls In” is a soulful end to the ride. Envision sitting under the stars on the hood of a swell ride, like the black 1961 Cadillac convertible on the CD booklet cover.

Hot tracks:

“50 Ways to Say Goodbye,” “Drive By,” “California 37.”

• DENISE DORTON

Point of Grace

A Thousand Little Things

Curb A

When it comes to contemporary Christian music, Point of Grace has been there and done that. After 20 years, the group has 27 No. 1 songs and 13 Dove Awards. Their new album shows no sign they’re slowing down.

Point of Grace formed at Ouachita Baptist University; their first album was released in 1993. Once a quartet, it is now a trio with Shelley Breen, Denise Jones and Leigh Cappillino.

A Thousand Little Things is filled with the group’s signature harmonies and melodies; lyrics are encouraging and relevant in times that are trying for many. Songs range from a sort-of-pop style to a bluegrass country feel.

Hot tracks:

“A Thousand Little Things,” which speaks of life’s sweet moments we can and should be thankful for, and “You Be the One,” which encourages us to reach out with comfort, support or a word of kindness when it’s needed.

• ROSEMARY BOGGS