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RATING:  
SINGAPORE : After the commercial success of his debut album in 2007, “Life In Cartoon Motion”, Beirut-born and London-bred Mika returns with a follow-up called “The Boy Who Knew Too Much”, an album just as colourful as the first one.
He may not have the best of voices but his unmistakable three-octave range sits well with the song arrangements and if you discount the Scissor Sisters, he does possess one of the most unique voices in modern pop.
Building on the strengths of his debut album, he has come up with more of his quirky sing-a-longs that are joyous and unique, this time complete with bigger arrangements.
And yet just like before, the simplistic stories and messages on the songs are refreshing, inspired by toys, trinkets, posters and children’s books from the 60s.
Definitely memorable are the opening number “We Are Golden”, which could have come from a musical and comes complete with a massive choir and bold declarations, as well as the potential dance floor anthem “Rain”, and the reggae-ish “Blue Eyes”.
Apart from upbeat tracks, the album too has its fair share of ballads like the hauntingly beautiful “I See You”, where he shows how slick he can be on those ivory keys.
“By The Time” is another mellow tune where he goes all emo on us and with good reason. I have to give special mention also to “Touches You”, a song that vaguely reminds me of George Michael’s “Father Figure” and I can’t leave out the very addictive “Blame It On The Girls” and the equally fun “Good Gone Girl”.
So what you get from Mika is straight up pop that’s never boring. While slightly slower than the first album, it still has the same fun vibe as its predecessor.
His falsetto might be a tad too much for you but his songs represent a nice change from pop music that’s dominating the charts these days. Mika’s “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” is one you should consider adding to your collection.
- CNA/il
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