By: Ashley Pagano
There are many words that come to mind when you hear Mika; unique, not surprisingly, is the first word that pops into my head. Mika definitely has his own sound, and one could propose that he has created his own genre. Born with the name, Michael Holbrook Pennima, from London, this singer and songwriter has proved to be extremely musically inclined with his past album. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Mika is proving his talent once again with his new album titled, The Boy Who Knew Too Much. This new CD has a variety of sounds from slow to upbeat, and of course is as catchy as expected.
“We Are Golden” sounded as if it belonged in a musical on Broadway. Mika has an incredible range, and shows off his strong head voice vocals in this song. The production of the song was also amazing, and it definitely makes you want to dance, so be ready when you hear it. “Blame It On The Girls” starts off with some dialogue in the intro, which is followed by a catchy beat, which quickly picks the song up. I did not really understand the message the song was giving, but I loved the sound, which shows how Mika is able to reach his audience through the pure concept of melody.
The beginning to “Rain” is perfect and the sound fittingly acts as a metaphor for rain. This song wasn’t as fast and upbeat, but it had awesome harmonies, and the chorus was the catchiest part. Contrasting directly to “Rain” is “Dr John,” which starts out acoustic, followed by some snaps, creating a sharp distinction in the tone of the album in its entirety and showing off Mika’s originality.
“I See You” Is my favorite song on The Boy Who Knew Too Much. It is very different from the other songs on the album. On this track Mika offers a very serious tone and chilling harmonies, creating the perfect slow ballad and showcasing his vocals. The piano and vocals fit together perfectly, and it flows quite nicely. While Mika created a lot of variety on this album, he made sure to stick to his roots with the song “Good Gone Girl,” which sounds very similar to “Grace Kelly” from his first album. Similar to its predecessor, the song is easy to move to and has a melody that gets trapped in your head, leaving you singing it all day.
On this album, Mika also pays respect to those who preceded him with the song “Touches You,” taking influence in sounds from Queen. There are not many words to describe this song. It was a little strange to be honest, but it still maintained its catchy sound and upbeat optimistic feeling.
In the end, The Boy Who Knew Too Much is not a favorite of mine, but it still offers some good new songs. One thing is for sure, and that is that Mika has not changed his sound or varied the style of his music in anyway. This way we know we can rely on his strange, but positive and catchy, enjoyable music to cheer us up on any bad day. Watch out for Mika’s huge European tour coming in 2010.
For Fans Of: Lily Allen // Duffy
Rating: 6/10
Recommended tracks: Rain, I See You, Pick Up Off The Floor
Mon, Sep 28, 2009
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