Seastories

Minnie Driver | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 17, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Zoe Records
• ASIN: B000QTCY5Y
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,000 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Minnie Driver is hardly the first starlet to dive into pop music, but on her second album she stretches out for Americana credibility--and only partially succeeds. Writing every song on the album (with just a few musical assists from producer Marc "Doc" Dauer), she positions herself somewhere between Suzanne Vega and Sheryl Crow, getting help from alt-country and roots-rock illuminati Jonny Polansky, Neil Casal, Eric Heywood, Ryan Adams, and Rami Jaffee. The album has a wafting, acoustic-pop ambience, with a few country rockers driving home her serviceably sexy vocals. The problem is her songs barely rise to the level of a Jewel chapbook. Driver obsesses over her own erotic-spiritual journey, and can often create a plaintive, sensual mood, but the material lacks the universal touch of an inspired singer-songwriter. Head-scratching lines like "If love is the answer you seek, you're asking the wrong kind of questions" and "When my shadow cuts my life in two, I can see the best of me is you" suggest she yearns to make a personal statement. Crafting her stories or honing her hooks would have been more convincing. --Roy Kasten

Product Description

Minnie Drivers new CD SEASTORIES explores new musical territory, from the rich sonic textures of "Beloved" to the bluesy soul of "Cold Dark River" to the seductive minor key groove of "Mockingbird" to the poetic chamber folk of "Lakewater Hair." Producer Marc "Doc" Dauer and guest musicians Ryan Adams and The Cardinals, Liz Phair and Rami Jaffee (The Wallfowers) match but never overwhelm Driver's vivid lyrics, soaring melodies and spirited performances on this thoroughly pleasing collection of intelligent pop.

"A Triple A Triumph."- Chuck Taylor (Billboard Magazine)
"Driver proves to be Hollywood's soulful surprise." - Gabe Guarente (US Weekly)
"A Minnie-Splendored Thing... Anybody who dismissed Minnie Driver's debut as just the whim of another moonlighting actress will have a hard time denying her now." - Brian Mansfield (USA Today)
"Driver is clearly a confident performer and a songwriter with a style both evocative and economical." - Kevin Bronson (Los Angeles Times)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Star Indeed!, July 17, 2007

By 

Mark D. Prouse "Dustyart" (Riverdale (Bronx), NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seastories (Audio CD)

I can only echo another reviewer and say that Driver is IT. However, where I liked much of her first album, despite it's atmospheric slowness (I wished it had rocked a little more, had more variety), with this one, she's stolen my heart. The opening title just engaged me right away, and from there, through the next five songs, it never let up. The seventh and eighth tracks I will have warm up to, but then she hit me with "London Skies" and through to the end, a sort of brief bow called "Love Is Love," I AM in love. Her singing is strong and assured, her songwriting equal to any, in the huge crop of good singer/songwriters working today, and there's lots of thrilling stuff going on behind her, especially the bass work by Chris Feinstein and Al Wolovich on some, and Ed Heywood's pedal steel on "How To Be Good," and the gorgeous ballad that is the climax of this album, "Coming Back To Life." There are nice touches by Liz Phair and others, but this is Driver's moment; the "entire package" includes some nice photos, an added bonus to a CD that will be staying in my changer for a while. Excellent.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very, very, very good., July 21, 2007

By 

Buzz (Northridge, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seastories (Audio CD)

I saw her perform this the night the CD was released. It was in a really small bar with a ridiculously small stage. Her band could barely fit on it. Anyway, every song she sang I was hearing for the first time. I knew she could sing but was pleasantly surprised at what I heard from this band. I wondered what the CD would sound like and it is wonderful. A previous reviewer mentioned the first five songs and that is spot on. There's great fare in the vein of Chrissie Hynde, Fleetwood Mac, and even The Band. Here's a suggestion: preview Seastories for free via Rhapsody's service and listen to it through a pair of good headphones. Beautiful music that touches the spirit.

(Addendum)
I've now listened to the CD about 20 times and I'm just thrilled. I previously talked about the first five songs but the sixth song How To Be Good has become my favorite. Beloved is damn close to being the perfect single too. This is one hell of a CD.

Minnie, let me be the first to congratulate you on what should be a well deserved Grammy nod.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly stunning, July 18, 2007

By 

Diamond D (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seastories (Audio CD)

After having enjoyed her in several diverse film and TV projects, the most recent one being The Riches, I have really come to respect Minnie Driver as a versatile actress. I had no idea however that she was a musician with 2 CDs out too, and I was blown away when I started to listen to Seastories. I was immediately hooked. She has a bittersweet style that is gentle, melancholic, and completely real and grounded (a surprise for a big actress). I've been listening to the CD for the last couple of days and can't get some of the songs out of my head. They are like ear candy--pleasantly melodic with an emotional presence that hits the spot perfectly. I can't believe that this album--with its folksy/dream pop/atmospheric sound and slight country tinge at times--was made by a British actress! But thanks to its authenticity and accessibility, my disbelief quickly faded and I became enchanted with Minnie's beautiful style.