TORONTO -- After an attention-seizing run on "American Idol," a tour subbing for dearly departed Queen showman Freddie Mercury, and two LPs rich in vocal feats of strength, Adam Lambert finally feels he has proven he can sing.

"I've done all the showing off I can do," he said this week in Toronto, chatting at the back of a local rock club.

"People know what I'm capable of. But I think even as a listener, the music that I've been attracted to wasn't about vocal gymnastics. It was about mood and texture and colour.

"I wanted to do something more like that."

And thus Lambert made "The Original High," his relatively restrained third album -- or at least restrained by the standards of this erstwhile king of glam-ham.

If he's scaled down the theatrics, it's because he's swapping the stadium for the club, mostly forgoing his usual power balladry for svelte electronic dance music created with help from Max Martin's team of Swedish hitmakers.

"I needed something different for me and new and something that reflected my real life," Lambert said.

"When I'm not working ... I go to clubs. I hang out at parties with friends. And I wanted to make music that was part of my life that way -- that sounded like my life.

"I love the Weeknd's new stuff. I think Miguel is really fabulous," he added. "When you go to a club, at least in L.A., you get house music, you get (R&B). I wanted it to sound like my life."

The record arrives after a period of some turmoil in Lambert's career.

His first two records were released on RCA Stateside. His second, 2012's "Trespassing," opened at No. 1 and featured collaborations with Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers.

What the album didn't feature was a major radio hit, certainly nothing on par with the Top 10 trademark tune "Whataya Want From Me" that hoisted his debut to platinum sales.

When Lambert's label suggested he follow "Trespassing" with a record of 1980s covers, he resisted the notion strongly. He now finds himself with a new imprint.

"I'm really proud of it creatively. I'm proud that it debuted at No. 1. That was a big milestone," he says of Trespassing."

"I wish that it had a little bit more of a life. There were people that didn't know about it.

"A lot of this business, there's so much that goes into it -- so much planning and strategy. What I love about where I'm at right now with this album is that I feel it's getting the best possible shot."

Six years after catching eyes on "American Idol" -- all jet-black bangs and leather bracelets -- Lambert is still hustling to find ears.

"I think for me it's not about the numbers, but obviously when you get big numbers and success in sales and radio, it gives you more opportunities," he said. "That's what I'm after.

"I'm after the doors being opened and getting to perform the music for more and more people. It's not about chart position -- I'm not competitive that way. I want to have as many opportunities as I can."