Adam Lambert - Velvet (2LP) - 45RPM Purple/Green Translucent Vinyl

Adam Lambert’s Velvet lands like a love letter to 70s glamour with a sly, modern grin. Released March 20, 2020 on More Is More and Empire, it arrived just as the world shut its doors, which meant this sleek little record never got the victory lap it deserved. That’s a shame, because Velvet might be the most cohesive and confident solo statement he’s put on tape. The big-voiced showman who can level arenas with Queen refocuses here on groove, touch, and texture, letting live musicianship do the heavy lifting while his vocals glide and purr.

The title track eases you in with satin swagger. It’s all pillowy bass and guitar that flickers like a disco ball, and Lambert rides it with a cool, unfussy delivery. From there, the record finds its stride with “Superpower,” a strut-heavy shot of funk that feels bred for a sunlit sidewalk. You can hear real air moving through those guitars, and the hook is cheeky but firm. It’s a good window into the album’s palette. Velvet isn’t chasing radio trends. It pulls from glam rock, soul, and disco, lets the band breathe, and trusts the singer to sell the mood.

Then comes the sparkle. “Roses” taps Nile Rodgers for a guest turn, and you can spot his signature Chic rhythm guitar in a second. It’s clean, tight, and impossibly stylish, like a bespoke suit that somehow makes you taller. Lambert doesn’t over-sing it. He keeps the melody buoyant and lets the groove do the flirting. On “New Eyes,” he goes full psychedelic romance, with a slow-blooming chorus that feels like stepping out of the club into a warm night. “Comin in Hot” slinks on a low flame, all smoke and side-eye, while “Stranger You Are” throws its shoulders back with a message that reads like a mirror note to your past self. The through line is poise. Even the up-tempo songs sound like they’ve been buffed to a soft shine.

When he drops the tempo, the record hits just as hard. “Closer to You” is the piano ballad that would crack in lesser hands. Lambert sings it like a confession, not a contest. You hear breath, you hear restraint, and then you get a lift that feels earned. It’s a reminder that underneath the theatrics is a musician who knows how to shape a line. Across the album, he keeps the vibrato in his pocket until it matters, and the result is an intimacy you don’t always expect from a voice built to cut through stadium noise.

Velvet didn’t appear out of thin air. Lambert rolled out Velvet: Side A as an EP in September 2019, a runway of six tracks that introduced the retro-funk direction, then delivered the full album the following March. Publications like Rolling Stone and Billboard clocked the pivot early on the singles, noting the throwback sparkle and live-band feel. The feature with Nile Rodgers is the easy headline, and it delivers, but the subtler wins are the arrangements that keep everything uncluttered. No gratuitous drops, no brickwalled loudness wars. Just tasteful bass, crisp drums, flickering keys, and guitar lines that actually swing.

All of this makes Velvet a quietly perfect record for the format that started it all. On vinyl you catch the space between instruments and the warmth in Lambert’s lower register, especially on “New Eyes” and the title track. If you’re browsing a Melbourne record store, or scrolling through vinyl records Australia shops to buy Adam Lambert records online, reach for Velvet vinyl and let it soundtrack your next late-night tidy-up that somehow turns into a living-room dance break. It sits nicely next to your Prince and Roxy Music LPs, and it will convert a skeptic who thinks of him only as the guy fronting Queen.

There’s a practical side too. If you’re building a little corner of Adam Lambert albums on vinyl, this one ties his whole story together. The theatrical streak is still there, but the choices feel lived-in and self-assured, like an artist who has tried on a lot of looks and finally kept the pieces that fit best. He’s not shouting to be heard. He’s inviting you in.

Velvet is the sound of a singer with nothing left to prove, chasing feel instead of fireworks. It rewards good speakers, a relaxed evening, and a little attention to detail. Put it on once for the sheen. Put it on again for the pocket. Somewhere in the middle of “Roses,” when Nile’s guitar locks with the bass and Lambert smiles through the melody, you hear why this album endures. It’s style with substance, groove with heart, and a set you’ll keep close long after the trends drift by.