North Carolina native Nick Driver is an accomplished musician who has sold a total of over 100,000+ songs since the release of his debut album and moved thousands of full albums live shows. He also has won a global songwriting award with the John Lennon Songwriting International Contest. Driver has recently released a 6-track Ep, entitled the “Acoustic Mixtape EP”. Nick Driver is an amazing musician. And that is a rare commodity these days…just think, a musician! He is just a guy and his guitar singing about life and love. The intonation of Driver’s vocals, and the simple, guitar arrangements of this EP fuse, maximizing its impact on the listener with an energetic, but wistful, bittersweet sensation, one-hundred percent in accord with the lyrics.
Taken on its own merits, “Acoustic Mixtape EP” is a great recording. It’s raw, energetic and exciting, as it exhibits the skills of a fantastic vocalist and songwriter. Songs to look out for, include “Baby Come Back To Me”, “Change My Ways” and the song that closes the EP, “Wrapped Up”, where his voice begins low and ethereal, but as the song progresses he lets it soar so high, so full of rapture, that it is almost bone-chilling.
Perhaps therein lies Nick Driver’s most remarkable talent: An uncanny ability to move the listener while perfectly expressing the meaning of his lyrics; there’s no question about what he meant or how he felt when he composed this music. His lyrics, sometimes light-hearted, sometimes deep, always intriguing, topped off with great vocal skill to boot, definitely make Nick Driver an artist to watch.
Using his voice like a versatile instrument, Driver is able to jump from note to note without a hitch. To be a singer, first of all, you have to be able to sing. Yes, sing, not scream, nor whisper. There is no doubt that Nick Driver can sing. Add to that his songwriting abilities, and the simple voice, acoustic guitar combination, and you have songs that are soaked in emotion and intimacy.
I know you might think it is a bit exaggerated for a bare-boned, singer-songwriter EP, but this recording was really a revelation to me. I didn’t expect such a pleasant surprise. The more I listen to Nick Driver’s songs the more I like them. The coffeehouse mood of the songs is just infectious, while the performances are exhilarating.
