Reasons For Purchasing:
Affirmation is the second music album from the Australian Pop Duo "Savage Garden". I was first introduced to this group after the third song from their debut album called "Truly, Madly, Deeply" was released into the UK chart and knocked Elton Johns "Candle In The Wind" of the number one spot that it had held for fourteen weeks. I was blown away by this beautiful love song whenever I first ever heard it played and fell in love with Darren Hayes very unique and angelic voice. I loved his style and the way he performed his song also. He really sings deep from within his soul. Well by the end of 1997 Savage Garden where huge international Pop Stars as a lot of people worldwide where drawn to Savage Garden also like I was.

Well after a very successful debut album Savage Garden released their second album "Affirmation" in November of 1999 right around the world and within one month it was platinum in the US. It's debut single "I knew I loved you" went to number one in the US chart and peaked at number ten in the UK. The album itself went to Number one in Australia. I cannot find any information of its chart position in any other countries though, but I am sure it did very well also. I am certain it was in the UK top ten also from memory. Affirmation went on to sell 13 million copies worldwide and unfortunately it was Savage Gardens last album that they made together, as they sadly spilt up and went their own separate ways in 2001.

Affirmation is a really great album in my eyes and one of my most listened to albums that I have in my CD collection. I personally like this album better than Savage Gardens Debut album, also called "Savage Garden" by the way. Affirmation has twelve excellent songs onboard it and to me every single one of them is just beautiful and means something personal to me. There is really no weak tracks at all on the Affirmation album, neither is any of it's songs used just to fill out this album. The Twelve tracks are all outstanding and a real pleasure to listen to. All of the twelve tracks really tell very beautiful stories of love, life and even seem to be giving advice to us when you listen to them. Savage Garden certainly are a very talented group that produced very inspirational songs indeed! They not only can sing and perform well live, but they can also write their own music and songs with some of the best worded lyrics ever in them and most of those can be found on this Affirmation album.

A Little Bit About Savage Garden:
Savage Garden are (or where, as they spilt up) an Australian pop duo that formed in 1994. The group is made up of two members who are Darren Hayes (vocals) and Daniel Jones on the keyboards, sequencing, and guitar. They where both in a group called "Red Edge" for around one year before deciding to start their own pop group. They decided on the name of their group to be called "Savage Garden" after being inspired by the Anne Rices books "The Vampire Chronicles" It means 'apparently' that the mind of each man is a Savage Garden.

Cover And Inlay To The Affirmation CD:
The front cover to the Affirmation CD is nothing spectacular really, but it features Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones, casually dressed and both looking quite serious in their photograph. The words "Savage Garden" are clearly printed across the top of this CD cover and underneath, to the right, the name of this album "Affirmation" can be found also.

The back cover to the Affirmation album is printed in black and all twelve songs that are featured on this album are very nicely and very clearly printed in white lettering. The producers names of "Sony Entertainment" and "All songs written by Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones" are also written there also. This is all useful info and is very easy to make out when searching for the track listings in my opinion.

The inlay to this Affirmation CD is a very useful one that I love, as it has all the words to each of the twelve songs printed in there. This inlay opens out into a handy little booklet that's easy to read and when this album was first released, I found it very useful to refer to, to learn the words to all of these new tracks at the time. A little word of thanks from both Darren and Daniel can be found written on the back pages also. Overall a nice CD cover that's very recognisable when searching for it and very clear to read.

Track Listings:
******************
(01) Affirmation ~ 4:56
(02) Hold Me ~ 4:50
(03) I Knew I Loved You ~ 4:10
(04) The Best Thing ~ 4:19
(05) Crash and Burn ~ 4:41
(06) Chained to You ~ 4:08
(07) The Animal Song ~ 4:39
(08) The Lover After Me ~ 4:50
(09) Two Beds and a Coffee Machine ~ 3:27
(10) You Can Still Be Free ~ 4:18
(11) Gunning Down Romance ~ 5:34
(12) I Don't Know You Anymore ~ 3:50

Below is a little bit of information about each of the twelve songs on the Affirmation album. I decided to include information on them all as they are all very good tracks indeed. They all help to make this album an outstanding one. None of them are weak tracks and I personally love them all. They are all very unique and well sang, with the most beautiful and meaningful lyrics to them all, that are a real pleasure to listen to. Well enjoy the rundown on them.

Affirmation:
The first track on the Affirmation album also shares the same name as the album and what a song it is. I think this track should have been saved for last on this album, as it certainly is the best track to me. It is an outstanding song with the most beautiful, meaningful lyrics that I have ever heard. Yes seriously they are amazing and seem to touch my heart and soul. This song was released into the UK chart in 1999 and peaked at number eight. It was written by both Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones from the group.

Affirmation starts off with a very fast, steady drum beat which is accompanied by a great electro guitar rift by Daniel Jones. It is a very fast paced tune that really is very catchy and likable from the very start of it. Well the song soon gets joined by the beautiful angelic voice of Darren Hayes. The blend of his voice with the backing music is incredible. The lyrics to me though are what makes this song. They really are the best I have heard and really will make you sit up and listen to what Darren Hayes is singing to you.

The Lyrics to Affirmation tell the story of important things in life that we really should actually believe in, as I personally agree a lot with what Darren Hayes is telling us. He puts across to us in what he himself believes in (an example of a line from this song is) " I believe the sun should never set upon an argument" Well to me this is a very true saying. Another example of a line from the song is "I believe in Karma what you give, is what you get returned" This is another great saying that I believe to be true. The song Affirmation carries on with many lines like this in the lyrics and they are amazing sayings to me. They certainly make you think and take heed of all those words and sayings you are hearing. It's truly amazing and a very well written song indeed!.

Overall the song Affirmation is incredible. The words are sang with deep emotion and from Darren Hayes soul. He is an incredible singer and means every single word he sings really. This is my favourite track on the Affirmation album and even when I listen to it today, it still makes the hairs on my arms stand on end. An incredible, deep, meaningful song, that's sang note perfect by an angel from heaven. I never grow tired of hearing this beautiful song and if you have never heard it before you can check it out on You tube to see what I mean. One of my favourite songs ever written and I am glad it's on this album.

Hold Me:
This is another fantastic song with amazing vocals to it. The lyrics also are very good. This song was not released into the charts from this album, but if it was, it certainly would have been a huge hit in my opinion. Hold Me has a slower type of rhythm to it and is another very catchy tune indeed. It is quite a steady paced tune though, with a lovely guitar strum accompanying Darren Hayes vocals. It has a slightly romantic feel to it also and is very relaxing to listen to.

Hold Me tells a story of wanting to be held, comforted and reassured. It has a lovely catchy chorus that is sang beautifully in harmony with the backing singers. Daren Hayes once again sings this perfectly and with pure emotion. He really knows how to deliver a song. I feel the chorus to this song makes it really, as it is very catchy, but also gets slighter louder in sound and Darren Hayes raises his voice a notch or two and listening to it is amazing. Overall an excellent and very likable track on this Affirmation album.

I Knew I Loved You:
Well what a beautiful worded song, tune and an overall pleasure to listen to track. I really love this song a lot. It is a very romantic and a slow moving love song. It is sang absolutely beautifully by Darren Hayes once again. It has a lovely steady drum and guitar beat to the background tune and it blends perfectly into the whole song. I Knew I Loved You was Savage Gardens seconds number one hit in the US and was released on October 11th 1999. It reached number ten in the UK charts also.

I Knew I Loved You starts off with a steady drum beat that's quickly joined by a beautiful guitar tune playing slowly and then gets joined by Darren Hayes singing very gently, the beautiful words to this song. Darren really does sing this song perfectly and hits some beautiful high notes in this also. It is a pleasure to listen to him singing this. There's not many people that have a voice like this in the world and I find it outstanding.

This song tells a story of loving someone before meeting them. It's slightly repeated at times, but the words, the tune and Darren Hayes voice is just amazing overall. This certainly is a worthy number one track and I am so glad it's included on this album also. Overall a really romantic love song that's beautifully sang indeed!

The Best Thing:
This song is slightly faster paced than the previous one and it has another very catchy background tune to it that has you moving along to the beat of it. The Best Thing was not released of the Affirmation album, but again I would say it would have been a top ten track. It starts off with Darren Hayes singing quite high in his beautiful angelic voice and then it all quickens up to a faster, steady rhythm and with lovely deep guitar rifts throughout it at times. It really has a very catchy tune to this song.

The Best Thing tells a story of being in love and the whole adrenaline rush of it all. It's a lovely song overall and one I really love. The chorus is very catchy also and of course Darren Hayes voice is amazing and Daniel Jones plays a mean guitar throughout this song also. A very catchy, body swaying song that's a pleasure to listen to also.

Crash And Burn:
Crash And Burn would be my second favourite song by Savage Garden. It was released from the Affirmation album in January 2000, was number one in three countries, reached number 14 in the UK charts and number 24 in America. This was the final song that Savage Garden released unfortunately before they sadly and quite quickly spilt up. It was a shame really as they where very talented and worked very well together indeed. Well anyway Crash and Burn is another fantastic track with very inspirational lyrics in my opinion that quite move me.

Crash And Burn starts of with a beautiful slow synthesiser sound and has a lovely guitar sound, gently strumming in the background also. It really is a beautiful sounding piece of music in my opinion. Darren Hayes joins the song quickly and sings in a soft voice at the beginning of this track, but it raises a notch in volume and quickens up in pace towards it's chorus. It really is beautiful and is quite relaxing to listen to, but when it quickens up in parts, it makes you move along to the drum and guitar beat in the background also. An amazing sounding song. It really is!

Crash And Burn is another track on the Affirmation album with outstanding and very meaningful lyrics. It really helps you to think about things in my opinion, instead of putting them to the back of your mind. Well that's how I feel when listening to it. This song is one to listen to when you are feeling down Darren Hayes actually feels as if he's singing this personally to me and giving me encouragement and inspiration to pick myself up and feel better inside. It's as if he's been there, in my situation and is offering real advice. It really is fantastic.

Crash and Burn is sang beautifully by Darren Hayes once again and it really is a so meaningful song to me and a pleasure and joy to listen to overall. An outstanding song and one I certainly love listening to time and time again. A great track on the Affirmation album that I am pleased is included on it.

Chained To You:
Chained to you was not released from the Affirmation album. It is a lovely unique styled song that I personally love listening to. It really is another very catchy and likable song in my opinion. It is quite fast paced with a lovely steady background beat to it. Darren Hayes sings this very nicely also. This song slows down a little in the middle then echoes in sound slightly, which is great to listen to also.

Chained to you tells a story of being chained to someone, but actually because you want to as you really want to be with them all of the time. It is repeated slightly at times in words, but overall it's a strong track also on this album that I really liked upon first ever hearing it.

The Animal Song:
This is another favourite song of mine from the Affirmation album. The Animal song is a song written for the soundtrack to he movie "The Other Sister" The Animal Song was number one in Canada, number three in Australia, number 19 in America and reached number 16 in the UK charts when it was released from the Affirmation album in February 1999.

The Animal Song is excellent. I love it. It has a lovely catchy beat to it from the word go. It has quite a fast rhythm to this song that has me moving my head to it in time to it's beat. It starts of with a marching drum beat that quickly gets joined by a beautiful guitar blast and of course Darren Hayes beautiful voice also. He sings this once again with pure feelings and note perfectly in his very unique voice. Again the lyrics to The Animal Song are what really make this song to me overall.

The Animal Song has very unique Lyrics that tell a story of wanting to live wild and free like animals in the wild do, with not a care or worry really when life gets tough of stressful. I absolutely love this song. You actually want to run around because you feel the emotion in Darren Hayes voice. The way he sings his songs really does make you feel his words, deep inside. Amazing! An excellent song.

The Lover After me:
This is a beautiful softer song from this Album that is very relaxing to listen to. The Lover After Me was not released from the Affirmation album either, but it really would of done well in the charts in my opinion. It's a very easy listening song indeed! It has a lovely background tune to it with a steady guitar, synthesiser and drum sounds throughout it also. It is very catchy track and lovely to listen to.

This song is about breaking up with the love in your life and still having deep feelings for them, even though the other person has moved on and has started another relationship. I know this song is listened to by a few people that I personally know who has been in this same situation. It's a very deep and emotional song really, but is just beautiful to listen to Darren Hayes singing this. I love it! A great song on the Affirmation album.

Two Beds And A coffee Machine:
What a song. The opening to this song is a very haunting piano ballad. It is outstanding. It really is beautiful. It just flows along and gives me shivers really, each time I hear it played. I recommend checking this out if you have never heard it before. This song was not released from the Affirmation album, but it probably would have been number one throughout this big wide world, as it is amazing and so relaxing to listen to.

Two Beds And A Coffee Machine is quite a short track and to me it ends too quickly. I want to listen to more of it when I play the Affirmation album. Apart from the beautiful piano ballad at the start and right the way through really, there is also a violin solo that lasts for around 10 seconds on this track which is really pleasing to listen to also. It is a beautifully played piece of music. Darren Hayes of course sings this song with pure depth and emotion that you feel every word really. I love this beautiful song a lot.

Two Beds And A Coffee Machine is a song about being in an abusive relationship and being a victim of a partners violence. It's a very sad story, but one that is flawlessly sang by Darren Hayes. Everything about this song really will move you and pull at your heart.

You Can Still Be Free:
You Can Still Be Free was not released into the charts from the Affirmation album. It is another haunting type of song that has a beautiful background tune to it. It starts of quite slowly, but quickens up in pace about halfway through it with beautiful orchestra sounds and guitar sounds going on in the background.

Darren Hayes sings this song very nicely once again and I could listen to him singing this song all day long. It is really beautiful and a pleasure to listen to. Towards the end of this track there is a lovely loud electro guitar piece also. Well another outstanding song I love on the Affirmation album also.

You Can Still Be Free tells a story of wanting to be free from the hurtful things in this life. 'Time will set you free' It's quite a sad and very haunting sounding song really, but the whole tune and melody to this track is amazing to listen to in my opinion. Overall this is an excellent track on this Affirmation album I love listening to time and time again.

Gunning Down Romance:
Gunning Down Romance was not released from the Affirmation album either, but it is another outstanding song on this album, with beautiful lyrics to it and another very relaxing song I like listening to lot. It has a softer and slower background tune to this track that is sang by Darren Hayes with pure feeling and from his soul.

Gunning Down Romance is a well written and performed song about having bad feelings and not feeling love inside really. It is quite a sad song really, but it is very nice listening to the relaxing tune of it all and hearing the lyrics sang flawlessly once again. It is a good piece of music with great background sounds.

I Don't Know You Anymore:
I Don't Know You Anymore is another beautiful song that starts of with an outstanding piano ballad before it is joined by Darren Hayes beautiful voice. It is really beautiful to listen to this also. This song was not released either from the Affirmation album. It is a very slow paced love song and a wonderful end track to this album.

I Don't Know You Anymore is a beautiful worded song about being in love with someone, splitting up with them, but still having great feelings and love towards them inside. It is a beautifully sang piano ballad and is certainly one to listen to on this Affirmation album. A great final song to finish this album off with in my opinion.

My Overall Opinion Of The Affirmation Album:
I really love the album Affirmation so much. It is 'in my opinion' a much better album their first album "Savage Garden" I love every single one of the twelve tracks a lot and listen to this album quite often also. It is a great album to sit down and relax to and a pleasure to take out just to listen to Darren Hayes beautiful voice from time to time.

There honestly is no real weak tracks to this album in my eyes. I love all of the songs, but I do love Affirmation the best on this album because the lyrics to it are just amazing and really make you think about life a bit more. Darren Hayes really has an angelic voice that really makes the hairs on your arms stand on end whenever I listen to him sing. He sings all of the songs on this album with pure feeling and to me this is what makes him very unique as a singer. He really gives it his all every time he sings. He really is a very talented male vocalist that sings from his soul.

Affirmation is an album I love listening to when I am alone by myself. Sometimes I need cheering up. Sometimes I want to chill and Affirmation really will help in both these ways and help you relax, I feel. I love singing along to all of these tracks and I really love the very unique lyrics to some of the songs also. It truly is a great album with twelve excellent songs on board it.

Well I certainly would recommend this album to everyone. If you have not heard of Savage Garden before, then check them out on You Tube first. They honestly should not disappoint you. They have a song for everyone in my opinion onboard this amazing album. I will certainly have to give this album a full five stars. It has no faults at all. It is excellent! I love it and I always will.

The album Affirmation can be purchased on Amazon UK at the moment for just under £5. This is a bargain for this album in my opinion, as it has over one hours excellent entertainment and one of the nicest sounding male vocalists in the world singing on it also. A great album for your CD collection and one of my favourite albums ever.

©hildas/hillhead.

Summary: The best music album from Savage Garden in my opinion.