Mika Boy Who Knew Too Much CD

Making an album even more vibrant than LIFE IN CARTOON MOTION would have been difficult for Mika. On THE BOY WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, he doesn't try to top himself; instead, he reins in just enough of his debut's indulgent tendencies to let his gift for great melodies and hooks be the focus. Rather than cramming songs with moments intended to impress that end up being overwhelming, "Dr. John"'s finger-popping minor fall and major lift and the calypso-tinged "Blue Eyes" are impressive because they're so direct. While CARTOON MOTION was engaging, occasionally it felt like Mika was more skilled at pastiche than presenting his own sound. Here, he and producer Greg Wells fashion songs that sound truly distinctive. Though touches of inspirations like Elton John, the Bee Gees, and the Scissor Sisters still pop up, the musician Mika borrows from most on THE BOY WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is himself.

2009 International Deluxe Edition 2-CD album set - Written by Mika and co-produced with Greg Wells, 'The Boy Who Knew Too Much' fizzes with influences from big pop albums of the 80's & 90's through to Kurt Weill, 50's singer Patti Page and 70's singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson. This 2-disc set comprises a 13-track CD album featuring the 'We Are Golden', as well as highlights such as 'Blame It On the Girls' which marries skittering percussion with floor-stomping piano and a swoon-worthy chorus, 'Rain' which is a bona fide dancefloor anthem and the Bonus Recording 'Lover Boy'; plus a Bonus CD including 17 tracks drawn from both 'Life In Cartoon Motion' & 'The Boy Who Knew Too Much', performed at London's Sadlers Well in 2009!Rolling Stone (p.78) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Mika's faith in the campy excess of Freddie Mercury/Elton John-style pomp pop is bracing."
Spin (p.82) - "[H]e rewrites the hooks from your parents' favorite Bon Jovi/Belinda Carlisle hit into earnest proclamations of teenage eccentricity..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.70) - "[I]t's a Technicolor pop explosion designed for throwing your jazz hands into the air." -- Grade: A
Billboard (p.53) - "[T]his Beirut-born singer comes back strong with another set of over-the-top anthems that proves no one's more entitled to inherit Freddie Mercury's glam-god crown."
Q (Magazine) (pp.106-107) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "This is a bold, daring and vibrant album....He is undoubtedly a star of the old school -- and a rare one at that."