Life in Cartoon Motion

Mika

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 27, 2007)
• Original Release Date: February 14, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Casablanca
• ASIN: B000NA2776
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (137 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,491 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From Amazon.co.uk
The pop world might be all cooing 'n' cross-eyed over this flamboyant elfin with extended tail-feathers, as if it were shaken suddenly from a slumber, but the arrival of such a character was in fact always inevitable. He's an unlikely but traceable amalgamation of random pop culture explosions from the past few years--two parts Paulo Nutini, one part Kemal from Big Brother, a dash of Daphne & Celeste, a barrel measure of Scissor Sisters, and another pinch of post-ironic dancing to Elton John at the Students' Union gone midnight. It's no secret that the UK has a weakness for pretty-boy singer songwriters either--he fits in there too, in that he's about to stick its index finger in the socket and pour it a drink.

Give it 12 months and you might be taking out a restraining order--Mika will split opinion--but his quasi-soul falsetto is unbelievable, that much is immediately obvious. There are moments nearing syrupy Feeling-esque normalcy (take "My Interpretation"), but those aside it's high camp insatiability all the way. There's a hint of Freddie Mercury’s theatricality in the voice, and in "Big Girl" he's even written a modern day "Fat Bottomed Girls". "Lollipop" is Jake Shears leading the Jackson 5, "Love Today" is the missing link between the Bee Gees and Village People and "Relax, Take It Easy" is a chilled Pet Shop Boys in gold lamé. Too cheesy to be a classic, perhaps, but this is just the brand of subversive eccentricity Robbie has failed miserably to achieve over his past few albums. --James Berry

Product Description
`Historic', `sensational', `flamboyant' and `without-any-doubt original' are just some of the adjectives being thrown around by critics in praise of 22 year-old UK newcomer, Mika's eclectic debut album, Life In Cartoon Motion.

Fun, smart, musically adventurous and thematically provocative, the songs on Life In Cartoon Motion, all of them written and produced by Mika, combine euphoric rushes of melody with darker unexpected elements. They range from bright daytime melodramas to night-time tales of love, loss, abandonment, hope and happiness. Each is a splendid blend of fresh imagination and deft pop craftsmanship.

Album gems such as "Grace Kelly," "Lollipop," Billy Brown," and "Relax And Take It Easy," display Mika's innovative wordplay. `I've always respected people who make great records to their own vision,' writes the quixotic Mika. Mission accomplished!

See all Editorial Reviews

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why Don't You Like Me?, March 27, 2007

By	Jason Stein (Chula Vista, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

When I saw the video for "Grace Kelly" back in January 2007 I sat up and paid attention. Who's this I said? He sounds like a cross between Elton John and Queen. In fact, he sounds a lot like Freddie Mercury. I have to get this. Alas, it was not yet availabe in the U.S., so I got it from the U.K. instead. It was not until today that I was allowed to post a review. After listening to it for 6+ weeks I have to say that it is easily one of the best debuts of 2007, and one of the strongest in recent memory.

Mika is apparently Lebanese born and Paris/London raised. He apparently was trained at the Lysee school of music in France. This is evident by the abundance of talent throughout the songs. He is clever, he is original and he is thankfully DIVERSE. "Grace Kelly", "Lollipop", "Love Today", "Relax (Take It Easy)", "Any Other World", "Billy Brown", "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" and "Happy Ending" are all solid songs.

After repeated listening I felt that not only does Mika remind me of 70's Elton John and Queen, but he also reminded me of the Bee Gees in terms of his abundant use of falsetto (which is more refreshing than it is grating). He also employs elements of The Beatles with the Eleanor Rigby-ish strings on "Any Other World".

The bottom line is "Life In Cartoon Motion" is cheap and the music is very good. Mika definitely seems like someone to watch in the future. Also you have probably already been exposed to his music via the Verizon telphone commercials on t.v. and in movie multiplexes which featured the song "Love Today". Already he's released three singles from "Life In Cartoon Motion"--"Relax (Take It Easy)", "Love Today" and "Grace Kelly" in Europe. "Grace Kelly" was a number one hit over there already along with "Life In Cartoon Motion". Now, if Mika could only conquer America. Probably not--too much hip hop garbage. But you could change that. Check out "Life In Cartoon Motion".

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Got to Love MIKA!!!, April 5, 2007

By	imago99 (Aurora, CO) - See all my reviews

Ok I'm probably not the target audience for this CD...if there even is one. I never really listened to Queen or any of the other people MIKA has been compared to, but I was hooked from the first time I heard Grace Kelly on the radio, and I bought the CD as soon as it came out.

It's probably the happiest saddest CD that I own which makes me love it more. MIKA deals with so many issues in his songs and presents them in such an amazing way. The part of you that may not want to like a song for whatever reason always loses to the part of you that just can't help loving it.

So yeah, MIKA has got a great voice, his songs are catchy and you'll have a blast singing along, the instrumentals are awesome, and to top it off the lyrics are fun yet serious and meaningful. All together it makes an amazing album.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Genius!, June 13, 2007

By	P. Smith "QueenBee" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This album is genius. I saw Mika in concert on Monday at the Chicago Metro. It was fun, incredible, and amazing! If you like this album, you have got to see his live performance. But, once you've seen him live, you'll want to see him again and when compared to the live performances, the studio versions of his songs seem flat. Now I can't wait for the live CD version!

P.S. To those of you who claim Mika's ripping off Freddy Mercury et al., get a dictionary, look up the word "homage," and learn to recognize the difference between a rip off artist and an artist honoring the spirit of a predecessor.

I was 18-20 when Queen was at its zenith. Mika's music doesn't merely recall that musical time or remind me of events that took place 20+ years ago, it makes me *feel* like I'm 20 again. How cool is that! The kid is a genius who deserves all the accolades we can give him (particularly since there doesn't seem to be enough payola flowing to the radio stations to get him much playtime)!