AM NOT LAMBERT

Vinyl LP pressing. I AM NOT LAMBERT is classic Lambert, indicative of the inventive versatility that, for a dozen years, has earned praise for this Berlin-based pianist, composer and producer. I AM NOT LAMBERT is also very different, his first to feature significant vocals. My music has always been song-oriented, he says. It felt natural to see if this works as well as I believed it would. Songs are a big part of what I listen to, so music like this is just me being... I dont know... honest? In fact, I AM NOT LAMBERT begins with Lambert singing in sometimes Vocodered tongues amid Spirits gentle flutters. Australian Kat Frankie lends hushed tones to the gossamer So Unkind, and old friend Dekker layers harmonies over The Sums soulful poise until moved to Prince-like testimony. Theres also Goodwin (Rob of The Slow Show), whose weathered croon on the devastating Hurts Like You unconsciously rekindles the spirit of Lambchops Is A Woman. But none of these three is Lambert. Nor are regular cohorts Daniel Schaub (guitars, bass, drums), Marie-Claire Schlameus (cello) and Ralph Heidel (saxophone, clarinet, flute). Adding soft-hued shading to tracks like the poignant All At Once, Heidel is also featured on the suave The Garage, while Schlameus plays a prominent role on Parthenope, its pianos top line inspired by Paolo Sorrentinos film, its lower notes ticking like clockwork.