Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

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, handclap...

England’s divo made his mark with Freddie Mercury-style operatics, most noticeably with his falsetto-drenched hit “Grace Kelly.” On his third album, the 29-year-old Mika traveled to Montreal to record a collection of lush electropop songs like the crazy-in-love title track and “Celebrate,” a joyous dance number featuring Pharrell Williams.