The Origin of Love - Mika
  • Band Name: Mika
  • Record Label: Republic
  • Release Date: Oct 16, 2012
The Origin of Love Image
Metascore
69 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.1 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

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  • Summary: The third full-length studio release for the British pop singer features guest appearances by Priscilla Renea and Pharrell Williams.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. Q Magazine
    Oct 18, 2012
    80
    The result is persuasive, likable grown-up pop without that off-putting jazz-hands factor. [Nov 2012, p.99]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. All Music Guide
    Oct 15, 2012
    60
    While it's odd that The Origin of Love doesn't work as well in practice as it might have in theory, it still has enough bright moments to please most fans.
  3. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    Oct 15, 2012
    60
    The Origin of Love is an autotuned, multitracked meringue whose ingredients include 10cc and Buggles, and whose only weakness is the absence of a killer single.
  4. PopMatters
    Nov 19, 2012
    50
    With The Origin of Love it sounds like he's sacrificed that youthful glee in his songwriting for club anthems that aren't really all that mature.

See all 9 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 1 out of 4
  1. iAGR
    9
    I have to admit that at first the only song on this album that really captured me, was the first track, "Origin of Love" (which is also the name of the album). I figured that other songs would be alike, and I gave them a listen. Nothing really got to me at that time, and I kept playing "Origin of Love" (the song) for quite a few weeks.

    Well, anything gets boring when repeated over and over. Which is why I decided to give the album a second shot, and this time all the songs were just mind-blowingly amazing! I don't know why I hadn't noticed it. They all sound equally catchy (some better than the others, but still) and have some decent story to tell.

    A great album!    … Expand
  2. Jarrinvaded
    9
    Mika's new album has a LOT to offer and most of it is quite good. While it doesn't contain quite as much pure fun as his first album, it is still quite infectious--definitely an improvement over Mika's second album. Of all the tracks, there is only one I will probably skip over ("Overrated" which is somewhat cloying, especially in the acoustic version on the Deluxe edition of the album). As there were on the other albums, there are a few "hmmm...that melody sounds vaguely familiar" moments. A certain riff in the title track reminds me so much of Belle & Sebastian's "Seeing Other People" that I had to listen to the B&S song to compare. I'll give Mika the benefit of the doubt and assume it was a tribute, much as "Touches You" on Mika's second album was clearly a tribute to George Michael. Still Origins of Love (both the album and the title track) are powerful evidence that Mika is an immensely talented and original artist worthy of greater fame and fortune than he currently has in the U.S. There are several tracks that would fit right in on U.S pop music radio and I hope that this album might be the one that puts Mika firmly on the top of the U.S charts where he should be.… Expand
  3. JotaBrasil
    6
    Não é exatamente a reinvenção da roda, mas o terceiro álbum do cantor inglês Mika é ao menos divertido. The Origin of Love é um álbum nitidamente pop só que ao contrários dos dois primeiros álbuns de Mika, a sonoridade é mais "limpa", séria e contida. Não há em nenhum momento "extravagante", apesar de haver momentos de descontração. Há uma grande diferença no tom de The Origin of Love apear de ter o mesmo produtor dos dois primeiros trabalhos do cantor, Greg Wells. Só que foi dado espaço para outros produtores como Benny Benassi, Klas Åhlund e até mesmo Pharrell Williams (que faz o featuring na canção Celebrate que tem a resenha a seguir). Mesmo com algumas batidas com pouca "força" Mika consegue caminhar por todo álbum de maneira exemplar. Sabendo usar sua característica voz na medida certa para que tenha personalidade sem encher a paciência com o falsete que ele possui. Só que alguns momentos a produção erra ao camuflar sua voz embaixo de efeitos. No quesito composição, o álbum é apenas médio. Há um cuidado em manter as canções com uma linha coesa de pensamento, mas a abordagem em muitos momentos sobre o amor e CIA é rasa e bobinha. De longe a melhor canção é espevitada e hilária Popular Song única que conseguiu unir o Mika alegra de antes com essa persona mais "contida". O trabalho também tem música em francês como a boa Elle Me Dit (ganhando uma versão em inglês chamada Emily) além da linda L'Amour Dans Le Mauvais Temps. Tem também a legal Love You When I'm Drunk e Overrated com produção de Åhlund lembrando o trabalho da Robyn. Sofrendo de falta de personalidade está a faixa Underwater que parece uma versão de Set Fire to the Rain da Adele e a pior canção do álbum fica a cargo da arrastada Heroes. Dá para perder um tempinho ouvindo The Origin of Love se você tiver algum de sobra.… Expand
  4. Armuti
    1
    underwhelming. it used to be... every song stood out and the albums much fun. this one just bleeds into ears - so forced and annoying. i'd give 'lola' a go, others are just boring.… Collapse

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