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 don’t know... honest?” In fact, I AM NOT LAMBERT begins with Lambert singing in sometimes Vocodered tongues amid ‘Spirit’’s gentle flutters. Australian Kat Frankie lends hushed tones to the gossamer ‘So Unkind’, and old friend Dekker layers harmonies over ‘The Sum’’s soulful poise until moved to Prince-like testimony. There’s also Goodwin (Rob of The Slow Show), whose weathered croon on the devastating ‘Hurts Like You’ unconsciously rekindles the spirit of Lambchop’s 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 piano’s top line inspired by Paolo Sorrentino’s film, its lower notes ticking like clockwork.