What you'll be hearing in 2007

After banging on about his debut single about a week ago I've managed to get my sticky little hands on a copy of the album. The hype machine is out in force and all the magazines have tipped him for 2007 but does the album live up to all the fuss?

The album mixes disco pop with the MOR of Seventies singer-songwriter's retooled for the 21st Century. There are a couple of throbbing, thumping party records here that show Mika could happily fill in for Scissor Sisters if they fancy a break. Mika has a great, elastic voice and knows his way around a piano. He also fills his songs with a natural humour and playfullness and everything here sparkles under production gloss.

The trouble is that "Life in Cartoon Motion" is all a bit superficial. After a while the sonic squiggles and vocal pyrotechinics begin to sound a bit hollow. Beneath the flash and finesse there isn't a lot to hold onto. Mika could use some earthy substance to ground all the leafy splendour.

Still, and I hate to sound fatalistic about this, like him or loath him you will be hearing Mika everywhere this year. I guess you might as well get used to it.