Minnie Driver - Everything I've Got In My Pocket

Pop music has offered its fans precious few certainties over the years, but the Hollywood-starlet-gone-pop-star storyline almost always ends with the exact same face-reddening pop. But what if your singing career predates your Oscar nomination? British-born actress Minnie Driver, best known for her work in 1997’s Good Will Hunting, has finally released her debut album, nearly a decade after signing with Island Records. Naysayers may snort in disbelief, but Everything I’ve Got In My Pocket is a shockingly competent collection of sweet, ethereal dream-pop that feels distinctly homemade (Driver is responsible for all the music and lyrics on Pocket, save a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart”). Driver’s gently cooed invitations (think Beth Orton and Sarah McLachlan) are undeniably charming, and Everything I’ve Got In My Pocket is just compelling enough to successfully upset decades of sad, singing-actress tradition.