Adam Lambert is one of the most critically acclaimed pop singers of our generation. His average career score is a freaking 71 on Metacritic. Both For Your Entertainment and Trespassing got a 71 score and Entertainment Weekly, All Music Guide, Los Angels Times, Rolling Stone, Billboard, The A.V. Club all highly praised his work. Record producer Rob Cavallo once described Lambert as having an unlimited range, as well as being able to sing every note on a guitar from the lowest to the highest. Rock artist Meat Loaf rated Lambert's voice in the company of only two others, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin, based on "that jet pack quality to their voice that just lets it take off." Brian May, legendary guitarist for Queen, noted that Lambert’s voice has “sensitivity, depth, maturity, and awesome range and power which will make jaws drop”; while Roger Taylor added that Lambert had "the best range I've ever heard". Pharrell Williams, after collaborating with Lambert on his Trespassing album, commented, “This kid has a voice like a siren – there’s no guys singing in that Steve Winwood-Peter Cetera range.”

For Your Entertainment sold 198,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number 3 on the Billboard 200. As of May 2012, it has sold 838,000 in the U.S. In its first week, Trespassing debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making him the first openly gay male artist to do so in history, and selling nearly 78,000 albums in the US. Lambert is commercially underrated when what he does is quality pop. I don't understand why; I don't see the problem in his music. His music is not infinitely appealing, but it's solid and it deserves to sell way more. It bothers me because I see so much electro-trash selling good and he struggles. I hope it's not his sexual orientation interfering because he is too talented for that, you know.

his music isn't very interesting

I've only heard like 2 songs by him. Is his music any good?

It was that one performance he had that messed up his chances. It scared people off.

Trespassing is nice though.

I think its cuz hes music isnt really fun and can some times be boring in the way that its presented

Well, his singles in this era flopped.

He needs to get pop radio to play him, but you don't do that by releasing a ballad.

I've never really liked any of his music. I like maybe 2-3 singles, but that's it.

Has he even had a top 10 single this era?

The music is just not that good. That's pretty subjective, obviously, but his music and aesthetic just isn't on par with what actually is popular at the moment.

You guys are not asking the question properly. If he is critically acclaimed, his sound can't be THE problem.

That's exactly what I thought. The 2009 AMAs happened. It may have been a little extra, but folks acted like he murdered someone on stage

Yes it can.
Janelle Monae (I don't know how to spell her name) has a metacritic score in the 90s, but you don't hear her on the radio.

Because in the end vocals aren't that important in the world of pop music. More than anything you just need great pop songs, and the ones that have been released as singles this era aren't that great.

His high register is also very polarizing, yes it's technically incredible and extraordinary, but a lot of people simply don't like listening to the sound. It would be fine in moderation, but he tends to do it at least once in every song. And while he has a pleasant tone, it really only lends itself to morose ballads and not so much to uptempo pop.

He is an extremely gifted vocalist and one of the best singers of our time, but he just doesn't shine as a manufactured pop star singing songs written and produced by all of the big names. He should do more alternative music (like the second half of Trespassing) or Broadway. He's also doing really well with the Queen concerts.

He's not commercially successful, so how can he be commercially underrated?

Maybe they don't like his look then

Oh, please! Cut the nonsense. His first era was OK.

Cause he's polarizing.

The music.