Mika: The Origin Of Love

Five years ago, he was all over the place on the back of the irrepressible single ‘Grace Kelly’ and mega-hit debut album Life In Cartoon Motion. It catapulted the mercurial Anglo-Lebanese-French singer into the big league, his hummable brand of disco-pop and an exuberant stage presence drawing comparisons with everyone from Freddie Mercury and Elton John to Prince and David Bowie. He certainly acquired more Brit/Grammy/MTV awards/nominations than almost anyone else in 2007, becoming a huge worldwide live draw. He’s been quieter of late but his third album should put him back in the pop firmament where he clearly belongs. It could so easily be titled The French Album as it oozes Gallic pop smarts and the atmosphere of a late night Parisian club. The catchy single ‘Elle Me Dit’ (already a French No 1) is as strong as anything he’s put out. But there are plenty more where that came from: the title track, a layered, textured, pop song comes across as Prefab Sprout meets Daft Punk, while the organic keyboards and electronically processed vocals on ‘Make You Happy’ recall Air’s ‘Kelly Watch The Stars’. Clubbier blips and beats underpin ‘Stardust’ while elsewhere, pure pop gems such as ‘Celebrate’, ‘Lola’ and ‘Make You Happy’ showcase a formidable talent who is joined by a host of collaborators including Benny Benassi, Ellie Goulding, William Orbit and Pharrell Williams.