The success of former American Idol contestants is measured not only by who helps them, but by what material they get and how well they make it their own. Everyone from Lady Gaga to Muse chips in here with perhaps the strongest, most flavorful batch of tunes to reach an AI vet, and Lambert’s polymorphous vocal skills unite dancefloor strut and hard-rock pomp in a convincing glam package. Flamboyance with a fire underneath, this is mainstream glitz liberated by both guts and chops; the gay equivalent of gospel.

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