Most helpful customer reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
A pretty good start to a career... , Feb 15 2007
It'S a fair bet that you will still be hearing the helium-voiced pop opera of "Grace Kelly" on radio 20 years from now, assuming there is still such a thing as radio.
Getting your debut single virtually tattooed on the public consciousness is a pretty good start to a career. OK, it's pastiche, welding the pop histrionics of Queen, "ELO" and "Sparks" into a glorious little masterpiece which, with supreme irony, tells of the indignities of trying to make it in the music business. But then, isn't practically everything pastiche these days?
Of course, with "Grace Kelly" as the opening track of the album, it's bound to be downhill from there, isn't it? Surprisingly not.
Mika works in pop's primary colours - gaudy tunes, extravagant sentiments, no attempt at subtlety - and sometimes, the results are just plain silly, but even then they leave you with a smile on your face.
He gives us a schoolyard chant on Lollipop, a nod towards Bronski Beat in "Love Today", some baroque Sparks-like strings in "Any Other World" and an anthem for the amply-proportioned in Big Girl (You Are Beautiful), which could well set dance floors groaning with empowered sisterhood in much the same way as "I Will Survive" and "It's Raining Men".
Mika is the natural spawn of the Scissor Sisters. This is an irony-free celebration of the crafty, camp pop for which we always had a love which dare not speak its name.
This is pop shrugging off its cool ennui, reclaiming its joie de vivre, making no lo-fi apologies for its cleverness and shaking its bony bum.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
The catchiest pop album in ages, April 13 2007
Mika, who seemingly burst out of nowhere on the pop scene in recent months, has managed to deliver a record that is the catchiest pop album I have heard in ages. Every song is a keeper, although you must be warned that the songs will likely take permanent residency inside your brain and might never come out of it ! The "Grace Kelly" single is a perfect representative from the album : infectious, catchy, a little kitschy, memorable, amusing, keyboard-driven, energetic and delivered in an unmistakeable vocal style. The good news is, there's plenty more where that came from : "Lollipop" definitely needs to be the next single, while "Love today", "Relax (take it easy)", "Billy Brown", "My interpretation" and "Big girl" are equally impressive. There are a also couple of quieter numbers that prove Mika is not just a fluffy pop entertainer; in fact, the album is wonderfully ecclectic and colourful, and lazy comparisons to the Scissor Sisters will only tell you one side of the story. Anyone with a love for catchy, well-constructed pop songs delivered with originality and personality would be wise to put their money on this instant winner. It's simply too good to be missed.
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4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
100% Pure Fun, Mar 15 2007
At times, Mika's "Life in Cartoon Motion" can be a little bit too strange, sometimes it can be a little too eclectic and sometimes you will question which era Mika is writing in and for, sometimes it's just a wee bit too precious -- and that's what makes this album so exciting. He's thrown disco, pop, indie rock, pop and pure originality into a frying pan and stir-fried it til crisp and finished. Fantastic production, interesting arrangements and catchy beats will have you dancing in the street. Some of the highlights include the hit single "Grace Kelly" and the Scissor Sisters meets a poor man's Curtis Mayfield dance ditty "Relax, Take it Easy". With Mika, it's clearly never a dull moment. If you put this CD on in the living room, there's a guaranteed party on your hands!
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