Mika Life in Cartoon Motion Review

Grace Kelly Singer Releases Debut CD Filled with Dance, Pop & Fluff

May 26, 2009

Hot on the heels of his chart-topping single, Grace Kelly, Mika releases his debut CD, a pure pop affair with a few rough patches.

Beirut born, English-raised Mika draws on many musical inspirations for his debut album, Life in Cartoon Motion. Incorporating a bit of pop with a splash of dance and a hint of Cabaret, Mika stretches himself thin, leaving listeners confused as to which side of the fence they fall.

In his early career, Mika released the digital singles “Relax, Take it Easy” and “Billy Brown” to limited success – both of which were included on Life in Cartoon Motion.

But it was his major label debut single, “Grace Kelly”, a piano ditty about the trials of getting a record deal that gave the finger to the record industry. No company wanted to touch this flamboyant, classically trained pop sensation, so Mika wrote this song, released it as a download and in less than five weeks it had capped the UK chart.

Mika’s powerful falsetto voice and tough, often painful, but not necessarily autobiographical lyrics have many critics drawing comparisons to other show-stopping performers such as Elton John, Prince and Freddy Mercury.

Love Today

Following the tremendous success of “Grace Kelly”, Mika built a strong fan base that eagerly awaited more material. Upon the release of Life in Cartoon Motion, second track “Lollipop” jumped onto the lower portions of the UK chart despite being so sugary sweet a dentist visit is in order after repeated listens.

The rest of the album goes from one style to the next without any sense of direction. More like a collection of tracks than a CD with a central theme, Mika morphs into disco-diva with killer jaunts “Love Today” and the ultimate highlight “Relax, Take It Easy”, and sentimental crooner on lush ballads such as “Happy Ending” with a few misfires along the way such as “Erase” and “Ring Ring”.

“Billy Brown” changes styles again. More of a Cabaret-style tale of a suburban man with a wife, kids and a male lover, the track features a choir and a child-like singing style.

“Big Girl” finds Mika singing big band fashion about the merits of chunky gals. “You take your girl and multiply by four,” Mika delightfully and playfully jams on this less than likely hit that also cracked the UK top 40.

Any Other World

While Mika takes many chances on Life in Cartoon Motion, his best material comes either in the aforementioned dance tracks, the Grammy-nominated “Love Today” and “Relax, Take It Easy”, or in his more sentimental ballads. True album highlight “Any Other World” finds Mika contemplative and moody, while the lesser of the two ballads “My Interpretation” tries to keep up the mood but doesn’t do as great a job.

While Mika, the artist and the man, is hard to peg, he’s the type of artist that fans and critics either love or hate. A truly original album that contains enough bright spots to overshadow the duds, Life in Cartoon Motion is available now.

The copyright of the article Mika Life in Cartoon Motion Review in Current Pop Music is owned by James W. Coates. Permission to republish Mika Life in Cartoon Motion Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.