The Colby Echo

Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Courtesy

Life in Cartoon Motion is candy. It's sweet, fruity, and has the potential to brighten your day. You'll love it or you'll hate it, but either way you won't be able to get this music out of your brain. Life in Cartoon Motion, the debut album by Mika, is pure pop brilliance that will leave you feeling groovy and joyful. From the opening notes of "Grace Kelly" to the album's slower "Happy Ending," Mika takes listeners on an aural journey through the outskirts of the pop realm. Some songs are jazzy, some could fit right into a Broadway score, and still others seem like they were pulled out of the 1970's.

Mika's voice itself is intriguing. Though he does have his James Blunt moments, he is more readily compared to Freddie Mercury. He reaches notes that most other pop stars don't dream of touching, and he's more than comfortable with resorting to his falsetto. It is strange to think someone could embody so much of Mercury's style while still being original, but he has accomplished this impressively.

"Grace Kelly," the first track and the first single off of the album, is fun and flirty. It was written in response to Mika's frustration with having to change his identity and sound for the record company. Thankfully, he resisted the record label Man and made Life in Cartoon Motion as it is. The chorus of this first track soars, and it's nearly impossible not to feel a flying sensation. It's ecstasy.

The second track, "Lollipop," feels like a playground chant for big kids. Clapping other galloping percussion instruments give the song a measured, engaging sound. This is hip hop at its highest level of pop, and it's completely cool. The next stand out song is "My Interpretation," a power ballad of a song that showcases a different, more traditional style of music, but he does not disappoint. The chorus is wildly catchy and rolling, if not as unique as some of the other tracks. "Love Today" is one of the best tracks on the album, and Mika brings out his best falsetto for it. It puts a smile on my face and makes me want to dance in all its infectious optimism.

Other notable tracks include "Relax, Take It Easy" a track that could be found in a night club, "Billy Brown" a story tale about a middle aged man who discovers he is gay, and "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)," which channels Queen's, and "Stuck In The Middle" in which Mika returns to a piano ballad.

Sure, this album is dripping with bells and whistles, but it's not because Mika lacks talent. He is a self-taught piano virtuoso and a tremendous vocalist. He is a songwriter, a producer, and an arranger. This album may be sunny and euphoric, but it is far from shallow. Life in Cartoon Motion is about loss, abandonment, hope, happiness, but most of all love. Two happy thumbs up.

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