Darren Hayes (Columbia)
As lead singer of the Australian pop duo Savage Garden, Darren Hayes poured syrup on late-'90s adult-contemporary confections like "I Want You," "Truly Madly Deeply" and "I Knew I Loved You." Although he split with Garden mate Daniel Jones last year, little has changed on Hayes's solo debut, which goes down like too many chocolate-chip pancakes.
Working with producer Walter Afanasieff, who has charted success for Mariah Carey and Celine Dion as well as Savage Garden, Hayes doesn't mess with the hit-making formula here. And while it is all adequate enough for telephone-hold music, there is an innocuous, almost perfunctory quality to the disc, which is evenly split between ballads, midtempo numbers and dance tracks. Only the simmering slow jam "Insatiable," which showcases Hayes's silky, R&B-soaked falsetto, is really worth savoring.
Bottom Line: Won't hold up to repeat spins
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