Blond Ambition
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| A card-carrying member of multi-platinum Aussie super duo Savage Garden? Hey--flash those credentials and you'd get the most scenic seats in the swankest restaurants, the world over. But "Darren Hayes, solo artist?" It just doesn't have the same ring, sighs the seraphic singer who, thanks to guitarist Daniel Jones calling it quits on the band last year, was forced to spread his wings and leave the Garden behind. "I mean, I'd basically been told 'You'd better find another day job.' That was the essential message I got after we broke up," shivers Hayes, who's recreated his look (brown hair dyed surfer-dude blond; punk-rock T-shirts and ripped jeans instead of black designer duds) and his sound (a dancier, more synth-poppy version of his old anthemic self) for his new solo set Spin (Columbia). "I had a pretty burning ambition to prove myself with this project and make sure that I didn't stumble." Die-hard Gardenites will be in Eden. In addition to the funkier numbers ("Dirty," "Heart Attack" and the sultry leadoff single "Insatiable"), Spin delves into classic SG balladry with sweeping sonnets like "Good Enough" and "Like It or Not," potential monster hits that give free rein to Hayes' gorgeous skyscraping tenor. "I was so afraid to go it alone," cedes the 29-year-old, reclining on the patio of co-producer Walter Afanasieff's sprawling San Rafael home studio/estate, Wallyworld. "But the minute I did, my God! I've had more of a hand in this record than I've ever had in my whole career. It's like the training wheels are off, and now it would be really hard to go back--this has been a logical step forward, an evolution of sorts." Sadly, Savage Garden was often lumped in with the other silk-throated boy bands crooning to stardom five years ago, when its eponymous debut moved 12 million copies worldwide. But there were two major differences--Hayes and Jones penned all their own ABBA-shrewd material. "And one other thing, we could never dance!" Hayes can't resist pointing out. Will there ever be a crowd-pleasing Garden reunion? The frontman doesn't think so; Jones has formed a label/production company in his native Brisbane; Hayes has relocated to sunny Sausalito, and loves the California life. "He and I are both really happy at the moment, and we're both doing everything that we've always wanted to do." |