Music Review: Mika - No Place in Heaven

Mika’s 2007 debut, Life in Cartoon Motion, showed flashes of pop brilliance, with a debt to Freddie Mercury and Elton John. But his followup albums were disappointingly inconsistent. His fourth disc is the first to fully realize the depth of his gift for expansive melodies, glorious hooks and complex lyrics. It’s also the first to show his knack for catchy French songs like “Boum Boum Boum,” already a chart-topper in France. No Place in Heaven is bursting with the kind of infectious, whipsmart songs Mika showed he was capable of with his smash hit “Grace Kelly.” The new album features too many highlights to mention, but standouts include the barnstorming “Talk About You,” the giddy, handclapping sugar rush of “All She Wants” and the irresistible Broadway-like show tune “Oh Girl You’re the Devil.”  With the title track, a piano-fueled look back on his difficult Catholic upbringing, Mika rounds out this impressive collection with some moving introspection.