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The opening track on “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” doubles as its debut single. “We Are Golden” is reminiscent of Mika’s first album, with a young-adult anthem vibe and a chorus that sounds shockingly similar to Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is A Place On Earth.” With Mika’s trademark high-pitched vocals to pull returning fans back in, teamed with a smoother piano-pop sound and a dash of the ’80s, it is clear why “Golden” was chosen to represent the artist’s newest venture.
“Touches You” bears an eerie resemblance to “Father Figure” from George Michael’s 1987 album “Faith.” It features innuendo and lines like, “I wanna be your sister / wanna be your mother too / I wanna be whatever else that touches you,” that cross the threshold from adoring to creepy as hell.
Mika tries for a slower ballad-style with “I See You,” but it sounds more whiney than heartfelt. With his exceptional vocal range, he doesn’t have any excuse for spending an entire song in his Freddie Mercury falsetto. It’s great in moderation on tracks like “Blame It On The Girls,” but without a break, he ends up drowning out the band. There’s a spectacular crescendo in “I See You,” but unless they can get past Mika’s vocals, listeners will miss it.
“The Boy Who Knew Too Much” plays like mature part two for Mika’s 2007 “Life In Cartoon Motion.” A lot of talk around “Life…” was regarding Mika’s sexuality, and while that may not abate with his latest release, it doesn’t sound like he really cares. “The Boy…” seems to be about growing up, and Mika’s sexual identity has been a big part of his evolution.
The song “Toy Boy” is about a young boy with his favorite toy, a male doll that his mother takes away because she says, “There was something wrong / didn’t want you sleeping with a boy too long.” The image of a boy strugging to find himself as he gets older comes through loud and clear. The song ends with a suggestion to worried parents: “When your only son’s wondering what to be / tell him the story of a boy like me.”
He kept quiet when asked about his orientation after the success of his first CD, but this time around he has been more open, even saying in Dutch magazine Gay & Night, “Call me whatever you want. Call me bisexual if you need a term for me. … That’s as close as I’ll get to any label.”
Mika’s sophomore album is well worth the wait for fans, deserving of a listen from newcomers and a solid way for pop’s golden boy to show us that he is all grown up.
Grade: B
