Minnie Driver can sing – and she’s a sweeatheart

I imagine I’ll have this conversation more than once over the next few days:

“I met Minnie Driver last night at a music club in Hollywood.”

“Oh really? Who was performing?”

“She was.”

It seems that actors, even the famous ones, all secretly dream of being rock stars. But Minnie Driver has taken things a step further, having released two full-length commercial albums over the past three years. I’d heard bits and pieces of her latest release and thought it sounded rather good. But then again, the studio gods have managed to make Paris Hilton sound like she can sing, so when I heard Minnie would be playing a local club, I was curious to find out whether she could really sing or not.

The verdict is, in a word, yes. Her voice is as lovely in a tiny nightclub as it is on her record, she can play guitar, and her stage presence included the kind of humor and grace you’d expect from an accomplished actress.

So what does her music sound like? Picture the kind of music you’d expect Minnie Driver to make, but give it a bit of a folksy, almost-country twinge, and you’re pretty much there. You can sample both albums in iTunes if you like, and she’s got a few dates scheduled around the country.

And oh yeah, she’s a real sweetheart in person too.