EP review: Taking Back My Life by Michelle Driver

Sometimes the email inbox overfloweth and I can miss out on good stuff. Stuff that was sent to me right at the end of 2015, announcing a debut EP to be released in January this year by Victorian singer-songwriter Michelle Driver. Called Taking Back My Life, it's comprised of five songs that I really wish I'd listened to earlier, because they're incredibly strong, infectiously good and absolutely not worthy of being ignored for as long they were (by me).

Driver has nominated her style as country, Americana and roots, and her music does draw from those lineages, but it's also not going to put off people who would say they never listen to country music. Mainly that's because a great song is a great song regardless of genre, and humans can instinctually recognise that. We also respond to powerful voices, and Driver has one of those too: wonderful tone and a big range. She's expressive and engaging.

So don't be as silly as I was and spend any more time away from Michelle Driver's songs - she doesn't deserve that, and neither do you.

Taking Back My Life is out now.
michelledriver.com