Adam Graham: My Tunes

Adam Lambert takes on 'Miracles'

Five songs I'm listening to this week:

Adam Lambert, "Time for Miracles" (from "2012")

Yes, it's a generic ballad servicing a big-budget disaster picture, and yes, it sort of sounds like 3 Doors Down territory. But Lambert capably tackles his assignment, wrapping his big, crazy vocals around the song's swelling climax. Let's just hope his debut album is a little more adventurous.

Royce da 5'9" featuring Busta Rhymes, "Dinner Time" (from "Street Hop")

Over a wily beat that rises and falls like the "Batman" theme, Royce spits verbal bullets, riding the flow like a big-wave surfer.

Karen O and the Kids, "Hideaway" (from "Where the Wild Things Are")

The movie is a bit of a mess -- well, let's call it an interesting failure-- but the soundtrack is lovely, especially this tender, gentle lullaby from Karen O. Who knew the ferocious Yeah Yeah Yeahs' frontwoman could be so delicate?

Blur, "Badhead" (from "Parklife")

A gem from the band's seminal "Parklife" LP, "Badhead" is a plaintive breakup ballad about laziness and moving on, with Damon Albarn tenderly evoking both heartache and boredom in the manner he does so well.

Bob Dylan, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (from "Christmas in the Heart")

When did the Grinch make a Christmas album? Bob Dylan's Christmas record is easily the most frightening seasonal offering since Ali Lohan's "A Lohan Christmas," with Dylan's cringe-inducing vocals -- which sound like he's been sucking on the lump of coal left in his stocking -- destroying this and any number of holiday classics. At the very least, can someone get this guy a cough drop?