Review Summary: Nice to meet you, I’m also Mike!
Early in the album, Mika makes a promise that he would never be able to fulfill. At some point, as the opener “Tiny Love” is drawing to a close, he sings “My name is Michael Holbrook, I was born in 1983,” That one line echoing the album’s title got me thinking that maybe this time Mika decided to finally go beyond the usual pop-star theatrics and treat us to a deeply personal, perhaps even autobiographical record. The first song seemed to support that claim with its grand piano, orchestral touches, and overall vibe of musicals from the fifties. Finally, the golden boy decided to grow up…
And then the second song kicks off with a cartoonish synth tune and lyrics about ice cream. All right, this is Mika we’re talking about, not Stanley Kubrick. Maybe Mika wants to show us his more mature side, but he also still wants to have some fun just like before. Which is a bit of a shame, because this LP shows us that he actually could go deeper if he really tried.
In the context of this LP, Mika delivers the strongest performance and the tightest songwriting when he aims for that big Old Age Hollywood sound coupled with more somber mood and more explorative lyrics. “Tiny Love” is a great song, and its reprise that closes the album sounds better still with an even more prominent orchestrations and choirs. “Paloma” comes as a saving grace after the shallowness of “Dear Jealousy,” delivering a careful piano melody and sweeping strings in the chorus together with heart-warming lyrics and a triumphant ending. “I Went to Hell Last Night” is also an interesting tune leaning into gospel. Just don’t expect anything darker than usual, the song is quite peaceful despite the edgy title. One more prominent song is “Ready to Call This Love” sang in duetto with Jack Savoretti. That grandiose piano returns once again, while the singers’ voices perfectly blend together and complement each other. Mika sings in his usual higher register, while Savoretti reminds me of Michael Kiske of all people, and their voices radiate sincere warmth and kindness. Finally, another song that deserves a mention is “Blue,” which seems to be deliberately channelling “Viva La Vida” era Coldplay in its melodies and Mika’s vocal delivery.
Unfortunately, alongside with these thoughtful and carefully composed songs we have tracks like “Ice Cream” which amount to nearly half of the album. Now, I am normally not that snobbish about Mika’s more light-headed songs and some of them are genuinely good. For instance, “Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)” from his first album is a fun song and a real banger, as is “Good Gone Girl” from “The Boy Who Knew Too Much.” But this time, songs about wanting an ice cream, having fun in Sanremo and not staying high just don’t do it for me. They range from the ones that are actively irritating to the ones that almost work, but never quite get there.
As you can see, this time Mika firmly separated his more serious side from the guy who just wants an ice cream, and the songs on “My Name is Michael Holbrook” mostly go either this or that way with no middle ground. Well, this is Mika, and consistency never was his strong suit. Still, he really tried to showcase his more mature and caring self here both musically and lyrically, and I am grateful for that.
