Fridae

He drinks decaf soy vanilla lattes, enjoyed Moulin Rouge, adores Prince, Michael Jackson and Madonna, and worships Ellen DeGeneres. In his spare time, he does yoga, cooks, and goes "exploring". He's 30, Australian, and lives in San Francisco.

Darren Hayes is the perfect ad for a perfect boyfriend, isn't he? Perfect for a gay man especially, seeing that he lives smack-dab in the middle of fag heaven. Now, can anyone really believe that this former member of Savage Garden is straight? I didn't think so. Those two were always the perfect couple onstage and off, weren't they? That is, until Hayes did his I Will Survive number on Daniel Jones, his poor seemingly mute partner in crimes against nature.

This is all presupposition of course�well, until he publicly comes out of the closet. Being previously married doesn't make you straight, as anyone with experience can tell you.

Vague allegations and assumptions aside, what the heck is up with Spin (and the shaggy dog look)? Is this really his solo debut or has Michael Jackson released another album under a different pseudonym? The latter seems to be more probable: the "invincible" goes "insatiable".

As mentioned, Spin sounds like an electronic MJ record set in a stark film noir background. At times, it's feels like the soundtrack of Moonlighting (listen to the first single Insatiable and his next single Strange Relationship), and then it reverts back to a '80s pop beat that nauseates. Heart Attack and Dirty clearly demonstrates the latter.

Fortunately, the signature sound of Savage Garden is not lost with Spin. Hayes' velvety vocals is enough to melt you (or give you a hard-on) on tracks like I Miss You, I Can Never Get Enough Of You, and Like It Or Not. Except for Crush (1980 ME), which sounds similar to I Want You, the mid-tempos and ballads might be the only ones that can qualify as single material.

This is definitely not original pop, but 20 million records with Savage Garden builds up an impressive r�sum� nonetheless.