The Fine Line Between Clever and Stupid: Guilty Pleasure Tunes

Since my movie watching has temporarily ground to a halt, it's high time I contributed a few of my music picks to the world.

First up: Mika

There's no getting around it, I feel guilty about getting hooked on Mika's relentlessly catchy songs which, by definition, makes him a guilty pleasure. The 26 year-old Lebanon-born Brit makes pop music, pure and simple. It's hard to even fit him into that "pop-rock" space occupied by the Smash Mouths and Sugar Rays of the world. He sings more than a little like Freddie Mercury and shows signs of developing a stage to match. Heck, even writes his own songs. At times, the Queen references are a little much (in Grace Kelly, he very directly references "trying a little Freddie" and in another song, Big Girls (Your Are Beautiful), he channels Fat Bottomed Girls to such a degree that Queen practically deserves a writing credit).

Although few of you will recognize the name Mika, I'd be willing to bet that the majority would recognize at least one of his songs because (a) they've been used in commercials, and (b) the hooks are so damn memorable.

Give it a chance and don't hate me if you despise it or if it gets stuck in your head. Here's a taste:

from his first album...

Grace Kelly