dcdeb Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 This review is from the Los Angeles Times online -- I assume it's in the print version of the paper, too. Not such a good one, I'm afraid, and he only gives LiCM ONE star (and apparently doesn't hear very well, got the lyrics wrong at the end)! But, at least it's coverage in a major US newspaper and it plugs the show tonight... I guess any press is good press? ************** Mika "Life in Cartoon Motion" (Casablanca)* "Do I attract you, do I repulse you with my queasy smile?" this new British chart-topper inquires in his U.K. hit and debut-album opener, "Grace Kelly." The question works just as well when applied to his music, which exerts the allure of the most seductive pop, but does so with the calculation of a predator. "Grace Kelly" is about someone so desperate to please that he'll assume any position ("Should I bend over?") and adopt any guise ("I tried a little Freddie … I've gone identity mad") to get it done. And while Mika presumably isn't describing himself, "Life in Cartoon Motion" sounds like a sampler of proven styles begging for approval. Drawing from Queen, Bowie, Elton, Wham! and the Bee Gees, among others, the falsetto-happy Londoner makes campy, operatic pop that throbs and pulsates, swirls and soars, whips itself into a froth, then dims the lights and goes all moody. In the best hands, pop's artifice can yield genuine depth of feeling along with its surface pleasures, and Mika (who plays the Troubadour tonight) finds it in "Billy Brown," a bit of Bacharach-style sunshine pop about a man who leaves his marriage for another chap. But over-the-top confections such as "Lollipop" and "Big Girl" make it seem like a random strike. He's in his early 20s, so he has time to harness his facility to a real vision. He could start by heeding his own lyric in "Lollipop": "Too much candy gonna ride your soul." Richard Cromelin *********** Article can be found at: http://www.calendarlive.com/music/cl-ca-rack25mar25,0,6395731.story?coll=cl-music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BexxY Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 i found that review strange...first of all i think there are farrr too many quotations and in some places it seems like its trying to be witty and failing im not sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sity Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 Well it was good. Nothing more. I felt the "Im witty critic" as well... And the Lollipop lyrics were wrong... Thanks for posting!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 I got the impression that the author only listened to the album without doing research for any background information. But yeah, at least Mika has been noticed by the major press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemmalee Posted March 25, 2007 Share Posted March 25, 2007 And while Mika presumably isn't describing himself, "Life in Cartoon Motion" sounds like a sampler of proven styles begging for approval. Mr Journalist obviously knows nothing about Mika, hasn't done any research and was just given the cd to review. If he had then he would know that it is a very personal album! He probably skipped tracks too or didn't listen to the full songs. If I'm wrong he can come and correct me! Bloody do your job properly, Mr Journo guy! Sorry rant over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcdeb Posted March 25, 2007 Author Share Posted March 25, 2007 This attitude is kinda what I'm afraid of might happen here in the states. As I've said before, look at Robbie Williams and Scissor Sisters -- huge in the UK and Europe, but haven't really made that transition here to the states. I'm not sure why, but there it is. If it were up to ME, Mika would already be NUMBER 1 everywhere, but obviously, nobody asks ME. Let's just hope my fears are unfounded... I have been known to be a worrywart, after all... dcdeb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 oh this makes me cringe,,,what is wrong with the so called critics? did they win their jobs in the lottery? If you want to review an album or a gig, for Pete's sake do your homework first.... I hate it, Mika deserves to be listened to...maybe we should celebrate the fact that he has specialized appeal...the creme de la creme only!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKAontheweb Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Well, Rolling Stone did put Mika as one of their upcoming artists to watch, right? So maybe the US media won't be as dense as this idiotic journalist (sorry, that was mean). Honestly, though, did that guy do *any* research? He completely misinterpreted Grace Kelly !!! Seriously, I thought journalism was supposed to be a competitive field...couldn't they have found a better writer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfung79 Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Wow, this is truly an awfully researched review. There may be more inaccuracies and misinterpretations in this than I've seen anywhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my_rainbow_radio Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Wow, he had the idea to what Grace Kelly is about all wrong. And then the lyric slip at the end? Hmm. Not to mention "assume any position"? Whatever. I'm sure more people will listen to The Rolling Stone than this critic who doesn't even know what he's talking about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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