The Boy Who Knew Too Much is the much-anticipated sophomore album from Brit Award winning singer-songwriter Mika. Admittedly the bar was raised quite high after having won widespread acclaim for his 2007 album Life in Cartoon Motion and expectations are high.
There are many fun moments on this album like current single We Are Golden, Blame it on the Girls, Touches You and Rain produced by one of my personal favourites Stuart Price. One cannot help but feel however, that something is missing in this collection of songs; that spark that generated so much interest the first time around. Indeed there are leaps and bounds in refinery, but perhaps we were expecting a bit more; The Boy Who Knew Too Much dwells perpetually on unresolved issues of adolescence which were already touched upon in Mika’s debut.
The album time-ports the listener back and forth from The Beatles' Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts (1968) to 1985 when George Michael was just beginning to hit his stride. Mika does it with his own signature brand of whimsical sass that makes us wonder "if Freddie Mercury were still alive...". Toy Boy explores the theme of homosexuality and sexual confusion (like earlier track Billy Brown) and will raise a few eyebrows; a shtick of sorts perhaps.
Preview second single Rain in full below (courtesy of Universal Music Canada):
Overall, Mika’s latest offering is fun fare for a Sunday afternoon, but alas, not as much fun as his first effort. The Boy Who Knew Too Much from Casablanca Records is due September 21st in Europe and the following day in North America. For more Mika, visit his Myspace Page. Grade: B
There are many fun moments on this album like current single We Are Golden, Blame it on the Girls, Touches You and Rain produced by one of my personal favourites Stuart Price. One cannot help but feel however, that something is missing in this collection of songs; that spark that generated so much interest the first time around. Indeed there are leaps and bounds in refinery, but perhaps we were expecting a bit more; The Boy Who Knew Too Much dwells perpetually on unresolved issues of adolescence which were already touched upon in Mika’s debut.
The album time-ports the listener back and forth from The Beatles' Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Hearts (1968) to 1985 when George Michael was just beginning to hit his stride. Mika does it with his own signature brand of whimsical sass that makes us wonder "if Freddie Mercury were still alive...". Toy Boy explores the theme of homosexuality and sexual confusion (like earlier track Billy Brown) and will raise a few eyebrows; a shtick of sorts perhaps.
Preview second single Rain in full below (courtesy of Universal Music Canada):
Overall, Mika’s latest offering is fun fare for a Sunday afternoon, but alas, not as much fun as his first effort. The Boy Who Knew Too Much from Casablanca Records is due September 21st in Europe and the following day in North America. For more Mika, visit his Myspace Page. Grade: B
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