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From the Vault...
08/06/2000
#693 |
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info
Savage Garden
"Affirmation"
© Columbia Records
Rating:
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track listing
Affirmation
Hold Me
I Knew I Loved You
The Best Thing
Crash And Burn
Chained To You
The Animal Song
The Lover After Me
Two Beds And A
Coffee Machine
You Can Still Be Free
Gunning Down
Romance
I Don't Know
You Anymore
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Savage Garden
"Affirmation"
Savage Garden is best known for their Adult Contemporary love ballads,
such as their #1 from their first self-titled album, "Truly Madly Deeply"
and their most current #1, "I Knew I Loved You," from this week's
review, Affirmation. The duo of Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones has the
qualities of another famous duo, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley (Wham!),
yet Savage Garden's music tends to the soft-rock sound, as compared to Wham!'s
upbeat dance rock. So the question is: Is Savage Garden the next Wham! ?
That answer remains at the end of this review...
The opening track is anything but a soft-rock ballad. It's very energetic
and fast. "Hold Me" has the same Adult Contemporary sound as their #1's,
having a medium beat, and could be a contender song for the Backstreet Boys.
Speaking of which, "I Knew I Loved You" is one of those dreamy pop
soft-rock ballads Adult Contemporary radio formats thrive on. It's a great
song, and is also a good song for romantic atmoshpheres.
"The Best Thing", like the title track, is upbeat, and has some
definite rock guitars. "Crash And Burn" returns Savage Garden to their
regular Adult Contemporary sound. "Chained To You" is more of an upbeat
rock sound; this one definitely has a different sound than the standard sound
heard on their two #1's -- a definite "rocker."
"The Animal Song" is a good upbeat dance number, and the youngsters
of today will like this one (especially Backstreet Boys fans). With a title
like "The Lover After Me," it has the same atmosphere as the dreamy
#1's as heard in "I Knew You Loved Me" and "Truly Madly Deeply;"
another good Adult Contemporary contender.
With an "unusual" title such as "Two Beds And A Coffee Machine,"
this one is also another dreamy (and possible future #1?) as in "The Lover
In Me," and many other songs on this album that fits the same sound.
(If this song doesn't get enough radio exposure and popularity, this song is
then definitely overlooked.) Likewise, "You Can Still Be Free" is
another possible future popular song, and should not be overlooked. Darren
Hayes' vocal is simply beautiful on this one.
"Gunning Down Romance" -- upbeat song for an upbeat title? Not
exactly. It's a simple song, having some upbeat tempos, yet it can be a good
B-side for such songs as "I Knew I Loved You," "You Can Still Be Free"
or "Two Beds And A Coffee Machine." This one has a somewhat eerie
atmosphere about it. "I Don't Know You Anymore" is the album's closing
song, and like many other dreamy songs on this album, it easily fits this type
of sound.
Affirmation defines the sound of Adult Contemporary, having dreamy
pop ballads, and a few upbeat numbers. Comparing to Wham!, Savage Garden's
music tends more popular towards dreamy pop songs, as heard in today's music.
Savage Garden will appeal to young and old alike; where Wham! appealed to the
youngsters of the day, so can Savage Garden. The dreamy pop numbers are
featured more in Savage Garden's music, having a more appeal towards older
music listeners. All in all, Affirmation will be enjoyed by the
common Adult Contemporary listener, and if you enjoy dreamy soft-ballads,
then Affirmation will be perfect for you.
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Columbia Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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