My Name Is Michael Holbrook

by Mika

Overview

With each of his albums, Mika lets his listeners a little further into his world. Though he took a few years off from making music between 2015's No Place in Heaven and My Name Is Michael Holbrook, it was all in preparation to give fans some of his most direct and most autobiographical music. In much the same way that the rejection he faced from labels early in his career spurred him to make his smash hit "Grace Kelly," Mika's disillusionment with the music industry sparked My Name Is Michael Holbrook. From its straightforward title to its upfront lyrical confessions, the album is steeped in the kind of honesty that makes intimacy -- whether it's between two people or an artist and his audience -- possible. It's also the kind of honesty that reflects Mika's age. When he released My Name Is Michael Holbrook, he was in his mid-thirties, a time when being true to yourself becomes more important than ever. Fittingly, there are plenty of quintessentially Mika moments here: "Platform Ballerinas" proves he still has as much of a way with catchy pop that dances to its own beat as he did in the "Grace Kelly" days. The suite-like album opener "Tiny Love," which celebrates love's everyday joys with tender piano passages and brass fanfares, is an equally intimate and grand microcosm of his music. The album's self-aware songwriting also reflects Mika's maturity. On "Dear Jealousy," he captures how a relationship with an emotion is just as real -- and sometimes longer-lasting -- than those with other people, and sets it to a slinky groove. Frequently, Mika leans into the more traditional side of his music on My Name Is Michael Holbrook. Earlier in his career, a song like "Cry" might have been hyperkinetic; here, it's a smoothly funky standout. He also manages to find fresh angles on time-tested piano balladry in "Ready to Call This Love"'s mix of hope and hesitancy and in the affectionate details on "Paloma," a song inspired by his sister. Mika tempers all of this maturity with joyous sensuality on the roller disco jam "Ice Cream," the breezy glamour of "Sanremo," and the romantic hedonism of "Tomorrow." While Mika may have balanced these themes and sounds a little more deftly on No Place in Heaven, My Name Is Michael Holbrook is never less than witty and genuine -- and much more enjoyable than if he'd tried to fit into someone else's mold. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	10/04/2019
Label:	Republic / Virgin Emi
UPC:	0602577969652

Tracks

1. Tiny Love
2. Ice Cream
3. Dear Jealousy
4. Paloma
5. Sanremo
6. Tomorrow
7. Ready To Call This Love
8. Cry
9. Platform Ballerinas
10. I Went to Hell Last Night
11. Blue
12. Stay High
13. Tiny Love (Reprise)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mika   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Jack Savoretti   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Dan Priddy   Keyboards,Vocals (Background),Bass
Steve Morris   Violin
Jack Duxbury   Piano
Pete Randall   Bass
Senab Adekunle   Choir/Chorus
Izzy Chase   Choir/Chorus
Bill Banwell   Bass
Jai Amore   Choir/Chorus
Andy Cortez   Guitar
India Watts   Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus
Honor Griffiths   Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus
Hannah Pigott   Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus
Catheline Maurin   Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus
Anthony Etheridge   Choir/Chorus
Beth Tyson   Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus
Jenny Dariya   Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus
Joannie Penniman   Vocals
James Philip   Choir/Chorus
Wendi Harriet   Choir/Chorus
Tiago Mendonca   Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus
Mark Kendrick   Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus
Oliver Kotla   Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus
Bruce White   Viola
Deborah Widdup   Violin
Nick Barr   Viola
Paul Dickson   Vocals,Arp Strings
Sonny Cash   Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus
Sharlene Hector   Choir/Chorus
Jonathan Quarmby   Piano
Brendan Reilly   Vocals (Background)
Paloma Penniman   Vocals
The Wired Strings   Strings
George Moore   Keyboards
Rosie Danvers   Cello
Max Taylor   Vocals (Background)
Eleanor Mathieson   Violin
Mitchell Yoshida   Organ,Piano,Solina,Keyboards,Mellotron,Synthesizer,Moog Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)
Helen Hathorn   Violin
Amy Wadge   Vocals (Background)
Bryony James   Cello
Bobbie Gordon   Choir/Chorus
Anna Croad   Violin
Mark Crew   Keyboards
John Blease   Drums,Timpani,Percussion
Paulo Ramos   Choir/Chorus,Children's Chorus
Patrick Kiernan   Violin
Tim VanDerKuil   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Natalia Bonner   Violin
David Sneddon   Piano,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Sally Jackson   Violin

Technical Credits

Dan Priddy   Engineer,Producer,Programming,Composer
Joel Davies   Mixing Assistant
Lorna Blackwood   Programming,Vocal Producer
Markus Baga   Images
Joel Sant'ana, Jr.   Studio Assistant
Louis Lion   Vocal Engineer
Harry Burr   Mixing Assistant
Sam Makar   Assistant Engineer
Giordano Poloni   Studio Assistant
Tommy D. Strings   Producer
Laura Howe   Choir Arrangement,Vocal Arrangement
Paul Dickson   Composer
Jonathan Quarmby   Producer
Jodi Marr   Composer
Beatriz Artola   Engineer
George Moore   Composer,Producer,Programming
Mat Maitland   Design,Images,Art Direction
Rosie Danvers   String Arrangements
Julian Broad   Photography
Mitchell Yoshida   Arranger,Programming,Session Producer
Amy Wadge   Composer
Joe LaPorta   Mastering
Andrew Maury   Mixing
Ian Mercel   Engineer
Matt Linesch   String Engineer
Mark Crew   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Charles Hicks   Mixing Assistant
Yasmine Penniman   Images,Art Direction
Curtis Stansfield   Choir Arrangement,Vocal Arrangement
Daniel Black   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Nick Taylor   String Engineer
David Sneddon   Composer,Programming
Dan Grech-Marguerat   Mixing
Mika   Composer,Producer,Programming,Art Direction,Cover Art Concept
Dave Gibson   Composer