joyce meyer

Sky - Piece Of Paradise (1999)

The very first album I ever bought was Savage Garden's debut release, and it remains my favorite pop album of all time. Any fan of that band should also own Piece Of Paradise. To me, it might as well be the lost Savage Garden album. It may have a few more r&b influences, but the lead singer (that would be James Renald, since the band had three different leads throughout its short career) shares the wispy, pop-influenced style of Darren Hayes.

Although the album tanked in America, in the band's home country of Canada, it was a huge success. It's a shame that, with the exception of Japan, it made little noise elsewhere. Perfect pop albums are few and far between, and it's safe to say that Piece Of Paradise qualifies. This is a record that will always remind me of the late nineties, but doesn't feel dated at all. These songs could be hits today.

Singles: Some Kinda Wonderful, Love Song, Push, All I Want

Strange: Opening with brilliant anthematic synthesizer and equally catchy verses. If you like the kind of stuff I usually post, you will LOVE this.

Shave: A spicy duet that's probably one of the more r&b influenced tracks here. If this would have been released as a single, it would have been absolutely insane. Definitely a highlight of the album.

Buy It! (for a penny!)