She & Him Volume One CD

Deschanel turns out to be a gifted pop songwriter with a knack for penning crisp 1960s-style pop songs like the glorious first single, "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" and singing them in a flirty, country-inflected style that recalls the likes of Jackie DeShannon and early Linda Ronstadt. Ward and an all-star band of fellow Portland, Oregon, indie-ites, including the Decemberists' Rachel Blumberg on drums, set Deschanel's songs and vocals in arrangements perfectly balanced between Phil Spector bombast and indie-rock cool. The entire album is a joyous, enchanting listen.

Generally, it's a good idea to be wary of actors who make pop albums, but every rule has at least one exception, and She and Him's VOLUME ONE is an unfettered delight. A collaboration between actress Zooey Deschanel (ALMOST FAMOUS, ELF) and prolific indie-folk musician M. Ward, She and Him is not merely a case of a cult musician using a more famous name as an entrée into the musical mainstream: in fact, Deschanel is the primary songwriter here and sings all the lead vocals barring a pair of duets, and she scores impressively on both fronts.

She & Him: M. Ward (vocals, guitars, slide guitar, keyboards, electric bass); Zooey Deschanel (vocals, piano, percussion); Mike Coykendall (guitars, electric bass, percussion); Paul Brainerd (steel guitar); Tom Hagerman (strings); Rachel Blumberg (percussion).

Rolling Stone (p.64) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Together they pose as a great lost Seventies AM-gold couple. Their acoustic vibe conjures up a time-travel fantasy of key parties, hot tubs and Chablis-crazed groping behind the spider plants."
Spin (p.102) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he best songs offer a tasty blend of desire and innocence reminiscent of classic girl groups. 'Sweet Darlin',' in particular, will brighten anyone's gloomiest mood."
Q (Magazine) (p.143) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[B]eguiling....It feels as if they are making music for the sheer pleasure of it, and it's this that proves the record's abiding charm."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.102) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[B]eautifully simple love songs delivered with a summer-scented voice that echoes Karen Carpenter one minute, Linda Ronstadt or Peggy Lee the next."