My Review
Strange Relationship
This is one of my favourite songs on the album, although I don't think it was the best choice for the opening track. It's pretty mid tempo with strong vocals teamed well with the electronic background. It sounds very funky but at the same time the lyrics deal with the issues of self esteem and love. It's sad...in a cool, original kinda way.
Insatiable
I've got into the habit of skipping this now- I couldnt get enough of it at first, but the more I listen to it, it just doesnt seem like my kinda thing. It's a good 'night time song'.
Heart Attack
This sounds so much like Michael Jackson it's almost scary, but I love it and I love the whole angry, energetic feel of it. His voice sounds adorable. Sorry to be untechnical.
I Miss You
This song reminds me of 'I knew I loved you' on the Affirmation album, just in the way that it's very pure and simple but still really beautiul. Not one of my favourites, but the vocals are consistant and really go well with the feel of the music. It's sweet. Wouldnt make it a single though.
Creeping up on You
Musically I think this song is one of the best on the album, the orchestra really bring it to life and the lyrics make me smile....obsessed fans know what I'm talking about! This is very well produced and sounds really polished if you know what I mean, there are no 'rough tracks' anywhere on the album.
Dirty
This song is just really fun and up tempo, you could imagine Britney or N Sync singing it but with Darren's voice it sounds completely different- this man truly makes everything sound original. Sometimes the drum beat sounds like it drowns the vocals though, but overall its the kinda song you wanna listen to over and over.
Crush (1980 me)
This sounds like the kinda song you'd expect some crappy pop band to release, but I think that's the point. It's not the kinda song you're really meant to anylise- it's just fun and sounds like it's from 80s. If this was an S club Juniours song, I would never stop critising it, but the fact that Darren wrote it himself and knew this was how he wanted it to sound somehow makes it sound clever. Also reminds me of I want You, in a weird way.
Good Enough
I think this song is very soulful and totally sums up the new Darren nad the direction he's going. Even though the melody isnt the best he can do, the vocals really outdo all expectations, I dont think I can even sing that high! The lyrics work well too.
I cant ever get Enough Of You
I love this one to pieces, it makes me cry. He sounds so hurt when he's singing it, you can hear the emotion in it and the melody is beautiful.
Like it Or Not
Love this one too. I think this is lyrically the best one on the album, very simple but very honest, and beautifully done. Maybe a bit too long, but the ending is nice. Kinda sad.
What you Like
Another one of my favourite songs. Love the tune and it's very uplifting musically. Voice sounds fantastic.
Spin
The kinda song you HAVE to dance to, the beat is cool and the lyrics clever and meaningful at the same time.
So to sum up....
This isn't Savage Garden, so be open minded when listening to it. Parts of it are similar, but if you're expecting a follow up to Affirmation you'll be sorely dissappointed, they can't be compared. At first, this seemed like the link between the debut album and Affirmation, but it really is completely different. At times it seems like there's something missing, but I guess that's part of missing Daniel. As a solo artist, I think this an outstanding first effort and only further proves Darren's talent and ability. I miss the guitars though, so I hope there's more of them next time! Overall, this has as big an impact on me as Savage Garden did- just in a different, slightly more lighthearted way...
And the rest.....
"A
new leaf in Darren Hayes' career book, "Spin" is a musical
expedition of sorts having been recorded electronically. The
album's musical skeleton, though not far from Savage
Garden's, is a collage of synthesizers, drum loops and samples.
It also is a far cry from the thematic simplicity of today's
mediocre pop. Here, Darren paints a complex gray that's quite
different from the black and white shades of boy band music. It is
frank and apologetic ("Insatiable," "Dirty"), sincerely obsessed
Saturday Night Fever homages in "Crush (1980 Me)", and even a tinge
of flamenco in "Insatiable."
Truly, Darren breathes his songs with beautiful pain and
exhilaration – reasons why people are obsessed with Darren Hayes." DARREN HAYES - Spin
By Gerald Martinez
Review from Sunday Mail Malaysia, 31/3/2k2
DARREN Hayes's Spin, a musical tonic that goes down easy, is the solo
debut for the lead singer of Savage Garden. He's had two smash albums
with Savage Garden partner Daniel Jones. The duo's 1997 self-titled
debut and 1999's Affirmation have sold in excess of 20 million copies
before their split in 2000.
Relationships and their consequences - romantic abandon, desire, and
betrayal - and Hayes's stance on staying true to personal choices
form the main thrust of the album. Musically, he pays homage to the
influences of his youth - Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Marrin
Gaye.
The first single, Insatiable has the sweet, full-bodied sound that
Hayes is best known for, and then turns up the heat with its breathy,
falsetto take on passion and blossoming love. Kind of George
Michaelish. Not a bad thing at all. Ballads like Miss You recall his
Savage Garden days, while Creepin'Up On You is a catchy Latin-disco-
tango thing. Dirty funks it up Michael Jackson style.
With his pop stylings and high, breathy voice, Hayes shows he is
strong enough to make it on his own.
HAYES GOES FOR A SOLO SPIN
From YouthQuake (New Straits Times), Malaysia, Friday 22/3/2k2
By Faridul Anwar Farinordin
THOSE who listen to the Australian group Savage Garden will agree
that the pair's music can be described as adult contemporary, a tag
that also applies to Elton John and George Michael.
But check out vocalist Darren Hayes' debut solo album Spin, following
its break up two years ago, and you'll be forgiven for drawing a
comparison between his music and that of Justin Timberlake (of 'N
Sync).
Hayes' vocals will remind you of the boyband's lead singer: nasal-
sounding,light and soulful. His trademark falsetto is still there,
but he now seems to be having fun doing it.
At the listening party to launch the album at Sony Music recently,
guests were treated to the music video from the album's first single,
Insatiable, apart from getting a preview of the songs prior to the
album's release on Monday.
Although he was not present, a pre-recorded interview with the singer
in Hong Kong was played. It gave a surprising glimpse of Hayes'
latest look: Brad Pitt-like blonde locks.
While the new image is a younger Hayes, the songs also seem to be
formulated to appeal to younger listeners. it is best described as a
snap-crackle-and-pop kind of effort.
Take the seventh track, the 1980s disco-meets-electronica tune Crush,
for instance: "I got a little crush, ooh I just can't get enough." On
the last track Spin, Hayes does what Britney Spears does best:
seductive "oohs" and "aahs".
In Good Enough, he confesses to being a fan of Britney ("sometimes I
listen to cool, obscure stuff/and sometimes I listen to Britney").
He says in the recorded interview: "On this record, I wanted to
acknowledge the power of entertainment. I love the fact that I can
engage the masses in some sort of public joy.
"I wanted to lighten up and bring people with me, to just drop that
needle on the record and stop the fighting for the 3 1/2 minutes of a
pop song. Maybe there's a message in that."
Recorded in San Francisco in the US where Hayes lives, the album was
co-produced with Grammy Award-winning Walter Afanasieff (Ricky Martin,
Mariah Carey). Other songwriters include Rick Nowels (Madonna, Dido).
On the opening track, the passionate Insatiable (also the album's
first single), he showcases his forte: gliding comfortably from his
choir-boy voice to a breathy falsetto.
"This one just flowed through me. It is absolutely one of my
favourite songs I have ever written," he says.
Insatiable entered the Australian chart at No. 3 and is getting a high
rotation on local radio stations.
The video, directed by Aiek Keshishian (who shot Madonna's video
documentary Truth or Dare), showcases Hayes's blonde look.
"The person whom you see today is a lot more complete. I was 22 years
old then, but my hair was dyed black. My record company would freak
out if I decided to keep to my natural hair colour."
"I do feel much more sincere now and I'm not interested in
pretending. I want to be able to present myself as who I am and how I
actually look. I don't want to be pressured to look a certain way."
Hayes, who rediscovered himself during the making of the album, also
found the beauty of the music he enjoyed as a teenager.
"This record is true to the music I grew up listening to, whether it
was Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson or Marvin Gaye. When I first
wanted to sing and get turned on by music, that was what I would jump
up and down to."
There is also fusion with tango music in some of the songs like
Strange Relationship, while others such as Creepin' Up On You feature
string instruments like violin.
"I had to apply that (music) to what I love about today's music: the
electronica and R&B. I kind of combined them all but that was
definitely a very conscious decision."
The difference between his solo effort and the previous two albums
with Savage Garden (self-titled debut and Affirmation, which sold
more than 20 million copies), he says, is that "this time it is
funkier".
However, making the album without former Savage Garden member Daniel
Jones was unnerving for Hayes that at one point he thought he was not
going to make it.
"But you can choose to be scared of it or you could do what I did
which is to take it on board. Now, every decision, every sound,
everything, even the pay cheques that come to me, are all empowering."
On why he calls the album Spin, Hayes says it refers to the feeling
he is in at the moment: "(It's like) I'm on this incredible merry-go-
round and it isn't easy to know where to stop."
Other tracks in the album include I Miss You, Dirty, I Can't Ever Get
Enough of You, Like It Or Not, What You Like and The Heart Wants What
It Wants (bonus track).
BBC Ceefax Review- April
Ultra succesfull Aussie pop duo Savage Garden have
split up and Darren Hayes is now solo-as this debut
affirms.
Hayes has swapped his clean-cut dark hair for a
blond rinse and stubble and invoked the spirit of
Michael Jackson.
His vocals mimic Jackson's "oohs" and "yeahs" almost
throughout, but they still retain some individuality
too.
Heart Attack and Dirty are pure Jackson while lyrics
deal unashamedly with the time-tested themes of love
and lust.
Elsewhere there are nods to other pop successes. I
Miss You and I Can't Ever get Enough Of You are
interchangeable with output from the likes of A1.
And What you Like musically owes no small debt to
David Gray's babylon. But Insatiable is pure pop
perfection and Crush sounds like Kylie circa 1988.
Hayes seems really to be enjoying himself. He's
unlikely to invent a new philosophy, for this is pop-
but it is good pop. Smile and give it a spin!
DARREN HAYES
Album Title: Spin
Producer(s): Walter Afanasieff, Darren Hayes
Source: Billboard Magazine
Originally Reviewed: March 30, 2002
Darren Hayes' move outside the circle of former group Savage Garden
reveals a singer/songwriter who wants to raise spirits, embrace
romance and sexuality, and unapologetically celebrate '80s pop. First
single "Insatiable" adheres to the gentle sparkle of previous pop
standards "I Knew I Loved You" and "Truly Madly Deeply," with its
creamy, dreamy melody—albeit amped-up lyric—as do the breezy,
gorgeous "I Miss You" and "Like It or Not." But it's in the more
fervent, experimental cuts like "Crush (1980 Me)" and "Dirty" where
Hayes breaks free with whip in hand, snapping listeners to attention
with a stack of steely synthesizers in the foreground —which
creates
a dramatic contrast to his ever-harmonic, easy-on-the-ears vocal
vibe. Hayes sounds like he has found a comfortable place to put his
Spin on the blacks and whites of the emotional and musical spectrums,
while showcasing his innate ability to forge melodies that are as
colorful and fresh as a rainbow. This is spring pressed on
plastic.—
CT