Two years ago, singer Adam Lambert stunned me. He got me to care about American Idol for the first time since its debut season in 2002 when they crowned Kelly Clarkson the winner. I wasn't the only one-- friends of mine who had either never watched the show or had long since given up on it were suddenly glued to their screens each week to see what the glamorous guy with the booming voice was going to do next. Every episode brought a different side of Lambert to us: one week, he was a rock God, delivering Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love"; another time he went dark and mellow with his rendition of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears; during country week he put a bizarre and interesting twist on "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash. It was genuinely exciting to see him during each performance.

Coming in second to Kris Allen didn't slow Lambert down. Six months after the Idol finale, he released his first album For Your Entertainment, which included the Grammy nominated hit "Whataya Want From Me" and has sold 1.2 million copies worldwide. The 29-year-old performer then embarked on a world tour entitled The Glam Nation Tour during 2010 and 2011, bringing his hits to many sold out audiences.

Now, Lambert has thrilled fans by announcing via Twitter that his new music is coming soon. "I'm 90% sure the first single will be out next month (ish)," he tweeted, adding that the full album would be out in early 2012. "There is still lots of work to be done but I promise: you won't be disappointed!"

I loved Lambert's first album (Download suggestion: stand-out tracks "Fever", "Sleepwalker", and "Soaked"), and can't wait for the next. But For Your Entertainment had more collaborators and producers on it than necessary. It seemed everyone in the industry had seen Lambert on Idol and was excited by his talent-- powerhouse producers Max Martin, RedOne, and Dr. Luke all took time out of their busy schedules to work with him, and hit makers like Lady Gaga, Matt Bellamy of Muse, Pink, Linda Perry, Rivers Cuomo, and Kara DioGuardi all lent their talents to the album as well. The result was great, but I think Lambert is talented enough to hold his own a little more this time. On his sophomore effort, I would like to see more of his incredible and unique talent with less outside influence.

Thankfully, it seems he may be doing just that. At this year's American Idol finale in May, he told MTV News, "I'm writing most of the material with people myself this time ... I'm really involved. It's really exciting because I think I'm making my dream album. I know that sounds a bit clichéd, but I'm making exactly what I want to listen to." Ok, now I'm really excited. Is it 2012 yet?