2008 Woodie Awards
On the Record
Darren Hayes CD review
Bruce Twilla
Issue date: 3/31/05 Section: A&E
- Page 1 of 1
Darren Hayes, the crooner from the former band Savage Garden has been very busy since his last release "Spin," that sold over three million copies. Hayes teamed up with Robert Conley, Marius Devries and Spike Stent (who produced for Bjork and Madonna), to work on lyrics and melodies in his San Francisco home. The title of the album became "The Tension and the Spark" describing Hayes' personal journey through darkness and light alike.
Known for being the voice of Savage Garden, Hayes decided to put out a solo album project that defines his inner strengths and exterior projections into a classy album with a new age sound: European Electronica.
"In 1992, Darren answered an ad that wanted a front man singer. The band was called Red Edge and was the brainchild of his soon to be Savage Garden partner, Daniel Jones' brother, Oliver," explained Heather Alamo, a close fan and Kirkwood Iowa City campus student."The band stayed together for a year.
"Both Darren and Daniel kept in touch, and began writing music together," she said.
"Savage Garden took off after their music received a lot of play on the Rosie O'Donnell show," claimed Alamo. However, the band officially ended in 2001 after selling 20 million copies of their work: Two albums and a remix album.
Jones went into producing while Hayes stuck it out and continued as an artist.
In 2002, he released "Spin," under Columbia Records/Fine Cut Records and Sony Music Australia. The album included the worldwide popular hit "Insatiable," helping the album to sell over three million copies.
His independent music has been doing well in Europe but is little known here in the states.
The first hit singles to come off the album are "Popular," a fast beat satire-like song about being hot and what it takes to get there, and "Darkness," a slower Savage Garden-esqe about life as a voyage, getting lost on the path and learning that you don't have to be lost even if it seems like you are.
The album as a whole is an exciting journey backed by electronic rhythm and harmonic vocals, that together can be emotionally moving.
They take listeners to the club, a walk through a dark park, a graveyard or slip us into our lover's arms.
Generally speaking, it introduces us to the lighter and darker side of love, lust, pain and fame. Just when we think we've learned from our mistakes, they come back to haunt us either bluntly or subliminally. His experience teaches us to take a second look.
Known for being the voice of Savage Garden, Hayes decided to put out a solo album project that defines his inner strengths and exterior projections into a classy album with a new age sound: European Electronica.
"In 1992, Darren answered an ad that wanted a front man singer. The band was called Red Edge and was the brainchild of his soon to be Savage Garden partner, Daniel Jones' brother, Oliver," explained Heather Alamo, a close fan and Kirkwood Iowa City campus student."The band stayed together for a year.
"Both Darren and Daniel kept in touch, and began writing music together," she said.
"Savage Garden took off after their music received a lot of play on the Rosie O'Donnell show," claimed Alamo. However, the band officially ended in 2001 after selling 20 million copies of their work: Two albums and a remix album.
Jones went into producing while Hayes stuck it out and continued as an artist.
In 2002, he released "Spin," under Columbia Records/Fine Cut Records and Sony Music Australia. The album included the worldwide popular hit "Insatiable," helping the album to sell over three million copies.
His independent music has been doing well in Europe but is little known here in the states.
The first hit singles to come off the album are "Popular," a fast beat satire-like song about being hot and what it takes to get there, and "Darkness," a slower Savage Garden-esqe about life as a voyage, getting lost on the path and learning that you don't have to be lost even if it seems like you are.
The album as a whole is an exciting journey backed by electronic rhythm and harmonic vocals, that together can be emotionally moving.
They take listeners to the club, a walk through a dark park, a graveyard or slip us into our lover's arms.
Generally speaking, it introduces us to the lighter and darker side of love, lust, pain and fame. Just when we think we've learned from our mistakes, they come back to haunt us either bluntly or subliminally. His experience teaches us to take a second look.