Album Review by EDF
What is it with movie stars wanting to become music stars, I hear you ask. Even though she is a successful actress, Minnie Driver was originally building up a professional career as a singer. She was writing songs by the age of 15 and eventually got signed to Island Records. About the same time, Driver’s movie career took off with her breakthrough role in the CIRCLE OF FRIENDS. This forced her to push her singing career to the back and now years later Driver has a chance to show us what she is capable of with an album where all but one the songs were written by her.
The songs have a hint of pop, folk and at times country, thanks to the help of members from the Wallflowers and Pete Yorn’s band. The tracks are of the mid to slow pace range that is familiar to what the likes of Dido would come out with. Unlike Dido, Driver can actually sing and has a bittersweet quality to her voice. From the atmospheric pop of DOWN, to the commercial sounding INVISIBLE GIRL and the slow mournful country guitar sound that helps tell the story of love and time passing by on FAST AS YOU CAN, the songs are well produced and enjoyable. Included here is a slow version of Bruce Springsteen’s HUNGRY HEART, sounding like it was recorded in a smoky club. This is an album that Driver can be proud of and a couple of faster tracks would have lifted the album up from the category known as easy listening.
