On The Verge Of Something Wonderful

I really want to like Darren Hayes. I enjoy the occasional song ("Crush" and "Popular" come to mind) but more often than not his music leaves me cold. I think it has something to do with the high-pitched wailing (otherwise known as Mariah Carey-itis) that pollutes every second song. However, Darren seems to have got his shit together the third time around and I'm genuinely looking forward to his latest album, "This Delicate Thing We've Made". The first single, "On The Verge Of Something Wonderful", is nice enough but hardly warrants the deafening buzz surrounding it. The video looks like something Daft Punk rejected in 2001 and even Fergie would draw the line at some of these lyrics ("you can walk in the devil's shoes, if you like walking in heels").

While I have my reservations about "On The Verge", the single is definitely worth purchasing for the awesome remixes of "Step Into The Light". That song was leaked on Darren's website and Myspace way back in April. "Step Into The Light" is a haunting slice of electro-pop, which has been transformed into a superb dance anthem by the remixes without losing the essence of the original song. "Step Into The Light" is climbing the US dance charts (#18 this week) and strikes me as a far better choice to launch the album than "On The Verge". Happily for Darren, I seem to be in the minority. "On The Verge" debuted at #29 this week and has a good chance to continue climbing.

"On The Verge Of Something Wonderful" is currently available from iTunes, Chaos and Sanity. Darren's album, "This Delicate Thing We've Made", is released on the 20th of August. I have my eyes set on the special edition which comes with a bonus "origami cranefly". How very gay!