In case you missed it, 30 year old singer/songwriter (and American Idol alum) Adam Lambert premiered the video for his brand new single, “Better Than I Know Myself” earlier today. The beautifully shot Ray Kay directed video features Lambert playing two different versions of himself, good versus evil, if you will. The video plays out in a split screen format, with each “version” of Lambert confined to it’s own space. The evil dwells in a dark, blueish green tinted space while the good inhabits a much more zen, warmly lit room. Very literal but still effective at getting the point of the video across. In the end, breaking free from the confined space, Lambert’s character seems to achieve some sort of balance and all is well again. Definitely one of more interesting videos to come out in a while. I’m wondering if it’s supposed to be autobiographical in any way, given some of the star’s recent press. Hmmmm…
Now…let’s discuss the song. Despite being impeccably performed my Mr. Lambert, “Better Than I Know Myself” is rather drab as far as Adam Lambert singles go. It’s a mid-tempo electro-pop ballad produced and co-written by Dr. Luke (Ke$ha, Katy Perry), Cirkut (Jessie J, Rihanna) and Ammo (Pitbull, Britney Spears) along with Claude Kelly who also served as co-writer on the track. Lambert has one of the best male vocals in pop right now and he certainly sings the hell out of this song, but it’s lacking something for me. I don’t know if it’s the hook, or the depressing subject matter or what. Something just isn’t connecting with me and I can’t quite figure out what it is.
Released on December 20th, the single peaked at #76 on the Billboard Hot 100. Currently sitting at #83, now that the song has officially been sent to radio (as of January 23rd), I’m hoping that the video helps give the song a little boost up the charts. This very well could be a grower for me, and if the past is indicative of anything, we’ll likely see a swarm of bumpin’ dance remixes in the coming months which will likely give the song new life. “Better Than I Know Myself” serves as the official lead off of Adam Lambert‘s forthcoming sophomore album, entitled Trespassing, which is due in March on RCA Records. While Lambert did co-write many of the album’s tracks, he also paired up with some of the industry’s most talented songwriters and producers, including Pharrell Williams, Benny Blanco, Bonnie McKee, Nile Rogers, Sam Sparro, Bruno Mars, Nikka Costa, BC Jean and more.
UK Adam Lambert fans unfortunately have to wait until March 12th to download the single, but U.S. fans can download it on U.S. iTunes HERE. Check out the video below!
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