Minnie Driver Albums (2)
What The Critics Say
The idea of the actor moonlighting as a musician is not an uncommon one. Hollywood stars like Kevin Bacon, Keanu Reeves, Jada Pinkett Smith, Juliette Lewis, and Jared Leto have all made the leap from the silver screen to the concert hall (or dive bar) with varying degrees of success, and now Minnie Driver, with her second album Seastories out, can feel confident that she's more than a one-trick pony who relies on production help and a strong band to validate anything she might produce. Not that these things don't exist here, but Driver's a solid enough singer, able to switch from bluesy rock numbers ("Mockingbird," "Mary") to folkier pieces ("Stars & Satellites," "How to Be Good") without too much effort, and though her lyrics aren't always great, she sometimes stumbles across something pretty good ("Sure do sing a pretty song darling.../Like a lark and sweeter than a starling/But mostly like a Mockingbird") and only rarely misses completely ("'Cause you are something/And we are nothing/But love is good"). Which means that Seastories rests comfortably in the realm of the decent, the kind of thing whose pedal steel-laden riffs might strike you at some point, whose layered guitars and sometimes-reverby studio work might actually seem appropriate, whose repeated references to blue eyes might actually seem poignant, though more often these things will not rise above their very ordinariness. She's laid off a little in production here, allowing the organic qualities of her voice, the skills of the musicians (on four songs, members of Ryan Adams' very talented band the Cardinals help craft the careful alt-country that Driver seems especially drawn to, and which fits her well) to come through more clearly, giving more authenticity to what she's doing instead of just confirming her big studio budget. No, Seastories won't blow you away with what it does -- neither in ingenuity nor brilliant interpretations of an already well-developed style -- but it's a substantial enough effort to consider Driver a serious musician, and not just one who messes around with singing in her free time. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
'Everything I've Got in My Pocket'
Release Date 10/5/2004
Tracks 11
Label Zoe
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
According to her bio, Minnie Driver was a singer long before she ever became an actress. Accordingly, Everything I've Got in My Pocket, her first album, contains ten Driver originals and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart." The project began as an exhortation by producer Marc "Doc" Dauer, who had heard Driver's songs accompanied by her self-admitted "mangled" guitar playing. Dauer plays guitar and leads a band that includes multi-instrumentalist Rami Jaffee. As for the material, it's pleasant and the songs are ably written, and Driver can sing to boot. She writes all over the map, from the gently textured Americana of "Fast As You Can" to the suburban country-flavored "Home" to the lush folksy pop of "Invisible Girl," which feels like some slick teahouse session between Aimee Mann and Avril Lavigne. There's nothing wrong with anything here: it's pleasant, breezy, and gentle. But records come out like this every single day. These songs possess no edge -- nothing to distinguish them whatsoever other than that they were recorded by a famous actress. In addition, the Springsteen cover is an utter throwaway; she adds nothing to the song, and in fact drains the emotion from it. What does stand out is Dauer's fine, sympathetic production and his nuanced attention to detail, giving the record some weight and dimension. For the record, Driver is a developing songwriter, someone who is growing into her material and finding her way into her craft. But to be honest, anyone else would never get the chance to record a second record because there is not enough here to make this collection of songs notable. Celebrity has its privilege; should Driver go further, sharpening and developing her skills, it will have served her well. For now, though, she shouldn't quit her day job, because at this moment in time this is a curiosity piece and little more. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
