The Australian duo Darren Hayes and Daniël Jones scored a world hit in early 1998 with Truly Madly Deeply. Just like on their self-titled debut album, they deal in catchy-sounding pop songs on their second album Affirmation. Unfortunately, Affirmation also contains a number of less convincing songs. The basis of The Best Thing is a very dated sounding eighties beat and Chained To You is a failed
… rock attempt. With the N-Sync-like I Knew I Loved You, Savage Garden seems to mainly target a teenage audience, while a song like The Lover After Me betrays the influence of Roxette. The highlight of the album is the beautiful melodic Two Beds And A Coffee Machine. (CK)more
