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Album Review
Darren Hayes "This Delicate Thing We've Made"
August 14, 2007

Artist: Darren Hayes
Album: This Delicate Thing We've Made
Label: Powdered Sugar
Released: 08.14.07

In theThe Tension and The Spark, his first record not to reap multiple commercial rewards, despite garnering outstanding reviews (even the NME described him as a genius), his record company suggested he should be farmed out to hit-makers to collaborate on the follow-up.

Darren went through a sanguine split from his record label, Sony. "This record was born from a stand off with my record company. They didn't understand me? That's OK." He began hatching plans for This Delicate Thing We've Made by himself, with the aid only of a programmer, in Phoenix, Arizona. It will be released on Darren's own record label, Powdered Sugar, and will come as a double set.

The album was made using a temperamental Fairlight synthesiser that the singer had acquired off eBay. Unsurprisingly, the standout tracks, "Time Machine," "Verge," "Casey," "Me, Myself and I," "The Only One," have a warmth and beauty to their pre-digital age sonic construction. There is meaning to the loosely conceptual time travel theme at the heart of the record, as the hero travels back to the '80s with respectful, modern sincerity.

This record is also his first to embrace the redemptive power of love and comes with such a real upbeat edge. He has never sounded as on fighting form as he does on the "I Feel Love" indebted "Step Into The Light", the brilliant, cerebral white funk strut "Me Myself and I" and particularly first single, "On The Verge Of Something Wonderful" (it should come as no surprise that all three double up as accidental yet potential ecstasy anthems).

This daring, theatrical, wise, wounded and wonderful epiphany represents his true maturation as an artist. At 35 years old, Darren Hayes has turned into just the pop star he always wanted to be. Himself.

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