I first heard of Mika sometime before Christmas when ‘Relax (Take It Easy)’ was played on the radio. I loved the song then but had little clue about the artist or indeed this album. I finally downloaded it this week after all the hype of the single ‘Grace Kelly’ staying at the top of the singles chart for a number of weeks.
I knew it was going to be pop and I knew it was going to be camp, but I was little prepared for how much fun it is! The whole album is very well produced with a wide range of brass, strings, loops, synths and heavy bass filling out the gloriously simple, catchy melodies. Genre-wise it’s a kind of over-the-top, quirky, exaggerated pop: something familiar, but strangely fresh. Mika’s voice is simply astounding with loads of dramatic falsettos and wonderfully flamboyant parts highlighted by strong harmonies. There are obvious comparisons with Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Scissor Sisters, etc. but somehow he also manages to sound unique too.
After the big single ‘Grace Kelly‘, my favourite stand-out tracks are ‘Lollipop‘ a brilliantly sugary sweet, bouncy, sing-a-long tune that gets you tapping your feet from the beginning, ‘Relax (Take It Easy)‘ a classic 80’s Pet Shop Boys-esque song, ‘Any Other World‘ a gentle, flowing bitter-sweet track with lush strings, and ‘Big Girls (You Are Beautiful)‘ a funky, disco fun-filled homage to ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ by Queen.
In all, it is musically a very good album although it won’t be to everyone’s taste. I imagine that opinion will become highly polarised after a while with listeners committed to either destroying or proselytising the larger-than-life singer. In the meantime it’s worth seeing what all the fuss is about.
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