Darren Hayes - The Tension And The Spark

That's an amazingly positive review. I've been tempted by this album and have listened to snippets on iTunes. Can I ask: were you a Savage Garden fan?

A fair question, Mark. Savage Garden, were of course, the biggest thing ever to come out of Brisbane, the city I grew up in, and being as I was an indie kid at the time I deeply resented them. I still have absolutely no time for any of their songs. In fact, I'll go on record and say that "Truly Madly Deeply" and "I Knew I Loved You" are amongst the most cloying, awful songs ever written. Their fast songs sounded like Roxette's throw-aways, and their slow songs were gloopy and nauseous. And do not get me started on "Affirmation" which I think must have some of the most dreadful, hackneyed lyrics ever to appear in a hit song. But this album is simply a completely different matter. It is heartfelt, intelligent and extremely hooky. There are a few lyrical slips here and there, some of the songs don't quite hit the spot, but the ones that do are really surprisingly powerful.

Great review its nice to see someone appreciating the changes Darren Hayes has made musically and ignoring his past and taking the album at face value. http://www.unofficialdarrenhayes.com

That is a very honest review of what I consider is one of the best albums anyone is likely to buy this year. I would recommend it

It's good to see someone who has the decency to be objective! I think everyone deserves a chance and especially someone like Darren Hayes who isn't afraid to tread new waters and develop as an artist. Thank you for recognizing that!

Having finally got my hands on this, I can add my recommendation in as well; I wish I'd head it before my year-end list was due. Speaking of someone whose opinion of Savage Garden was, if possible, more negative than Edward's, I can confirm that this is aeons above any of their stuff.