Album Review: "Seastories" by Minnie Driver

I have to admit that when I first heard that Minnie Driver was releasing her second album Seastories, I was slightly surprised but largely unconcerned. I was surprised because I didn’t even know that she could sing let alone that she had released a first album! I was unconcerned because been someone that prided herself for only listening to ‘true’ artists, I didn’t think that Ms Driver could even come close to been a ‘true’ artist in my book. By the way, when I say ‘true’ artists I simply mean that those artists whose works remind me why I am not a musician and they are! Such artists have a certain 'X' factor, which is difficult to explain but nonetheless evident in their work. I had therefore become increasingly dismissive of the seemingly never-ending mirage of, at the very best, mediocre artists constantly forced on to the unsuspecting public. I had especially become completely disinterested in those who land record deals merely because they had achieved some level of fame elsewhere. Of course this category includes the entire actor turned singers types, which Ms Driver belongs to or so I thought!

I had been watching GMTV one morning when Ms Driver was introduced. She had given a brief interview before she had taken the microphone and begun singing. The song she picked entitled ‘Beloved’ really surprised me. It was actually not that bad! In fact, dare I say it the song was good! ‘Beloved’ is a simple sing along type song with a gentle melody that fit so well with the lyrics. It has a Beatles inspired vibe to it with its unimposing lyrics and gentle guitar sounds. Admittedly this song doesn’t have the ‘X’ factor to make it a classic the way that the McCartney/Lennon songs had but it’s a satisfactory effort. It’s a sort of song that you could sing along to or relax to or even just let it gently play in the background as you get on with your daily chores.

I was so pleasantly surprised by ‘Beloved’ that I searched to hear other songs on this album. I listened to snippet of other songs on Ms Driver’s official website before deciding to buy the album. I wasn’t surprised after listening to the album that ‘Beloved’ was selected to promote the album although it is the third song on the album. The first song is ‘Stars & Satellites’ is okay song but doesn’t stand out as much as ‘Beloved’. Seastories contains three songs that really stand out. Apart from ‘Beloved’ the songs ‘Mockingbird’ and  ‘Cold and dark river’ separates Ms Driver from mediocre wannabe singers to a real potential true artist. ‘Mockingbird’ is a little bit louder than ‘Beloved’ in that it has a deeper base sound. However it also carries the same gentile melodic feel as ‘Beloved’. Again like ‘Beloved’ this is not an unforgettable song as such but its one that is pleasantly delivered that you may find yourself playing it repeatedly. ‘Cold Dark River’ is the fourth song on the album. In this song Ms Driver allows her vocal ability to be better expressed. She sings both at a lower sultry base as well as higher range. However what makes this song stand out is the clever way in which everything comes together without been ‘off’. Ms Driver doesn’t go too high nor too low in her vocal expressions. Instead she switches between the range comfortable with her ability as well as complementary to her voice. This ability gives her a maturity that is common in more experienced artists. What I mean is that Ms driver seem to know how best to marry her voice with the melody. She doesn’t try to reach notes that aren’t suitable for her vocal abilities. This enables her deliverance of the songs to sound natural but at the same time by understanding the best deliverance for her vocal ability, the melodies are allowed to breath. You can hear the instruments as well as her voice as they merge and at the same time allow each other room for the listener’s appreciation. In so doing one forgets about Ms Driver the actor but focuses on the music.

Seastories contains twelve songs in all. Other than the three discussed above, the other songs are still good enough to make this album worthy of purchase. I say this knowing that perhaps I am a very difficult person to please when it comes to music. The album doesn’t centre into one specific area, which gives it a good flavour of songs. The songs relate to different aspects of life including love, loss and heartache. Ms Driver wrote or co-wrote many of the songs on the album, which is impressive because writing a song in itself may not be a great achievement but writing good songs is and this she has accomplished.  Ms Driver dedicated this album to her father in fact the ‘Mary’, the eighth song on the album, is about him. Well after listening to it, I am convinced he is very proud. This album may not be a classic but it truly is a very convincing effort by Ms Driver. It’s one that you will want to hear again and again, even if you won’t always remember all the songs.