There’s obviously going to be a lot of nitpicking around She & Him. Every album’s subjected to scrutiny, but when a full-time actor or actress decides to showcase her songwriting chops, folks’ suspicions are usually stronger than his or her songs (right now Bruce Willis is somewhere out there eating his harmonica). If you’ve been reading the site at all lately, you know the She & Him of the band’s name are Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. They met while covering a Richard and Linda Thompson tune “When I Get To The Border” for The Go-Getter. On Volume One Zooey handles most of the singing, though Matt does duet with her here/there (on the covers, maybe because she wrote the other tunes for solo voice). She also plays piano and banjo. On top of his fine, properly nostalgic production, Ward’s the six stringer. Other musicians showing up across the 13 tracks are the Decemberists’ Rachel Blumberg on drums and Mike Coykendall on pedal steel. It’s a well-appointed affair — no half-stepping — and the title Volume One seems to connote subsequent releases. Hmm … Is that a good or bad thing?
Zooey’s voice is sweet. It reminds us of Judee Sill. We can also see where Merge is coming from when they reference Dusty Springfield. M. Ward really uses her voice well: he found its strengths and put ‘em in a proper context, producing and arranging around her twang (rather than what Sitek did with ScarJo, where his lush layers are always sorta competing; Tinkerbell’s kinda drowning in the cough medicine). Matt has a lot more confidence in Zooeys’ voice than Sitek does in Scarlett’s but there’s good reason: there’s more there to Zooey’s voice. She has more charisma to her singing, especially in tracks like the sweet flourishing opener “Sentimental Heart,” which oddly reminds us of the Velvet Underground’s “I’m Sticking With You” (to get all Juno on your ass) … but with Douglas Sirk-style melodrama attached to it. She really nails that one. Or, when you hear her laugh a little at the beginning of “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?,” that’s quite a charmer. As is the Jenny Lewis/Watson Twins-style “This Is Not A Test” and the slight twang she adopts for parts of “Change Is Hard.” It makes sense that she opts to cover the Beatles (a countrified “I Should Have Known Better” complete with pedal steel and horse-hoof percussion) and the Miracles (“You Really Gotta Hold On Me”); Volume One‘s a total, golden-age throwback. Like wasn’t “I Was Made For You” in Grease? No? It should have been. The song she should not have covered, though, is closer “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” That one flops.
The total flops, though, are rare. And while “You Really Gotta Hold On Me,” done as a duet with M. Ward is definitely a standout, the duets can be a bad idea — because when Matt opens his mouth, her voice pales in comparison. We had a similar reaction while listening to Zooey’s album to what we did with Johansson: Even though we like Volume One more than Anywhere I Lay My Head, we perked up whenever Matt starts singing. It makes the songs (those duets) very strong — but it makes it so clear how much charisma his voice has, which implicitly points out the lack in hers. Guess it’s sorta like Scarlett singing beside Bowie (though Bowie would probably make M. sound kinda weak, too, to be fair). Not that she can’t also sound slight on her own– the “jazzy” (please note quotes) “Take It Back” personifies Starbucks-lite.
So, in the end, putting aside the fact that Zooey is, like, so cute, the album’s pretty … but slight. While it’s fairly forgettable, though, we were pleasantly surprised by a few tracks (see: “Sentimental Heart”). If you can’t tell, we think it’s better than Scarlett’s, for those keeping score of the indie-rock-actress infiltration. Does this mean Juliette Lewis wins? Answer: No, Zooey schools her. We’re looking forward to their SXSW set and hearing how Volume One ages. (OK, so maybe we’re looking forward to seeing how it ages, too.)
Volume One is out 3/18 on Merge.
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i really like this record
I quite like this record too.
Would’ve been nice if you guys had done a proper review, as opposed to a Zooey VS Scarlet feature.
According to an article in “Under the Radar,” Paul Brainard played pedal steel. Coykendall was a recording engineer, and played some base, drums, guitar, and sang a little.
I look forward to this, but I’d prefer it was just Zooey solo. Between her and Scarlett, we’ve got some damned fine young ladies in Hollywood, these days.
Well, at least two.
M. Ward is so bad
I wish she’d done this record with Jon Brion
Dave Rawkblog – “M. Ward is so bad”
…you don’t really like music, do you? If you’re being completely honest with yourself?
you idiots will buy (or should i really say steal) anything…this woman can’t sing.
Actually, she can sing. Well.
No, I do enjoy this record, but I wouldn’t say she has a great voice. It’s nice for the mostpart, but it does occasionaly grate. There’s more to the music than the vocal performance though.
it’s good, but it doesn’t have the same charm m. ward’s solo stuff has
Zooey is amazing per usual, but I have to say, I would have preferred to hear her showcase her voice more. It’s too pretty for this record, in my opinion.
Also, not to be overly picky, but Rachel Blumberg is no longer in the Decemberists. She left it to focus on Norfolk & Western. Or are we not namedropping lesser-known bands now?
I haven’t actually listened to it, but I give the album 2 1/2 stars.
/Maxim
I’ve been Zooey’s personal rawhide chewtoy ever since Almost Famous, so of course I like the album… But it is rather too slight to make a suitable first impression. I would hope for more, I dunno, oomph. I can’t see how she’s going to pull off the Janis Joplin biopic based on this.
DwD
Actors/Actresses singing = ridiculous. I find it insulting that these companies like disney are taking their actors/actresses and just putting them into this mold and making them singers. This is part of the problem with music today. No originality.
They’re on the cover of the new Under the Radar. Has anyone read it?
http://www.undertheradarmag.com/
I’m curious, why do you think “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” was a flop? I mean, was it the singing, the style, what? You can’t just say “it was a flop” with no explanation.
I agree with most of the review. I really love the way he used her voice. It isn’t the best, but it is really pleasing to the ear. I also agree that Swing Low was the only real flop on the album. With regards to the comments about actresses singing, I think this one comes across as very authentic and and had I not known who she was, I would definitely still like this album. I love M Ward, but don’t really think his part of the duets really add much on this album.
i don’t understand why people are so offended by actors/actresses who have genuine vocal ability making use of it. zooeys voice is haunting and serene and beautiful. the album is pretty and cutesy and even a bit simple, but none of those things are particularly bad.
You guys already used the “…but slight” line in the Cease To Begin PE.
I haven’t heard the whole album, but the songs I have heard are barely listenable. She really doesn’t have much of a voice…she can sing in a scene in Elf, but it seems that her days as a recording artist are numbered. She’s cute, yeah, big time…but…CAN SHE SING? Kind of…
I really like this album; sure it’s just a few catchy tunes but sometimes I’m in the mood for that kind of stuff. Plus, Zooey’s voice is beautiful (especially on Sentimental Heart). If you’re into this, you should also check out Jason Schwartzman’s Nighttiming which I also loved.
i agre
Actually she can sing circles around most indie singers….because she’s an actress doesn’t make her any less accomplished than most others, what do you think a lot the artists out there these days where doing before they made records ? taking vocals lessons ? studying music theory ?
maybe acting has opened doors for her music but its not like she’s Paris Hilton or something
Bruce Willis’ The Return of Bruno was released on Motown Records. That’ll burn you up.
I like M. Ward. Just nice songs and sounds. I haven’t heard this record. I don’t know how to stop buying music.
I just don’t really understand this newfound obsession with re-doing Beatle’s songs, (Across the Universe) the two on this track aren’t so great, and when you’re covering a Beatle’s song, you have the world’s biggest shoes to fill. I find it odd that so many below-par singers try to fill those shoes.
aside from that, I’d say the album is alright. I find it hard not to judge as I grew up completely on the Beatles and still love them more than any other band. The experience may have been different for those who are more open to the covering of classics.
before any backlash – i know the beatles covered “You Really Got a Hold On Me” so sorry if that sounded hypocritical, i just felt their cover was more warranted than Zooey’s
Speaking of actress/singers, isn’t anybody freaked out that Feist is in a men’s anti-perspirant commercial?
I really like this album too
http://www.tech-exposed.com
More than Judee Sill or Dusty Springfield, I hear Jackie DeShannon in Zooey Deschanel’s voice. While her upper register isn’t perfect, I did enjoy the album’s “Laurel Canyon girl group” sound, and thought Ward’s arrangements (if they are his and not Deschanel’s) were often refreshingly different from his own work. Not by any means the greatest album you’ll hear in 2008, but it certainly doesn’t sound like an actor’s vanity project (Quattro Formaggi anyone?).
@Lydia: I wouldn’t call it a newfound obsession. “Yesterday”, alone, has over 3,000 recorded cover versions…
I do agree that they’re some big shoes to fill, though, and unless their take on it is really something original, most Beatles covers fall pretty fucking short. Elliott Smith’s version of “Because” is the only really good one that comes to mind.
I look forward to hearing this album, though.
While some may question her vocal ability, I believe a proper youtube search will resolve any disputes about her talent.
I personally find her voice a lot more beautiful when she’s singing in a cabaret-style, but I can enjoy it on this album too. It isn’t the best album, but one that’s pleasant enough.
And I really don’t see how it pales in comparison with M. Ward’s on the duets because, well, they aren’t really comparable. His voice is lighter, while hers is twangier. The style seems to suit her personality, from what I’ve seen, and I think that’s important for the genuineness of a project like this. Rather than simply showcasing an artist she admires through a bunch of covers, Deschanel uses actual compositions of songs she’s made herself – with the help of M. Ward, of course, but it’s still a point to consider when criticizing this specific actress-turned-singer.
I agree with Michael, I like her jazzy/cabaret style of singing more than the country style she’s doing on this album. She’s better at singing the lower, husky notes than the higher notes she hits. Maybe Volume 2 will be more jazzy.
Also it used to be required for actresses to be able to sing and even dance for a long while. Disney has been doing that for decades. And I don’t know what period of ‘originality’ people keep referring to, but there are cultural reasons why the music of this decade is what it is. People didn’t suddenly decide to be unoriginal. I’m really sick of people constantly making comparisons to the past that completely ignore their context.
RE: Speaking of actress/singers, isn’t anybody freaked out that Feist is in a men’s anti-perspirant commercial?
-thank you stereotypical indie idiot for trying to derail the topic. You should be happy artists you like can make money somewhere, so you can continue to steal from them… freaking jack ass…
As for Beatles covers falling short, Camp Freddy did a money cover of “Revolution” for a soundtrack, and Pearl Jam regularly did “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love” as well as “I’ve Got A Feeling” in concerts and all more than stood up to the original. Not to mention Fiona Apple’s cover of “Across the Universe” which I like just as much as the original if not more than (because I loooove female vocalists).
I don’t know why I read the comments here, it just pisses me off that there’s so many repugnant people out there, without a lick of talent of their own but love to pass judgement from behind the veil of the internets. 1 out of 50 of you have any clue what you speak of.
I can’t believe anyone hasn’t said that they here some Patsy Cline in Zooey’s singing. “Take it Back” and “This is not a Test” sound like some Patsy Cline and some of the album even dips into Carole King. I think most people don’t like her voice because it’s not the norm of what’s going on today, but this would be hit music on 45′s if it came out during the time it is a tribute to. I disagree that M. Ward’s voice is more charismatic than Zooey’s and that Matt Ward is just loved because of his indie following that’s like a cult somewhat.
Zooey is the one who wrote all the material that wasn’t a cover and it’s her show, hopefully she develops as a musician so she can become a well respected artist in film and music. Plus she will only get better if this is the first stuff she’s written and pretty much has no live experience.
It’s going to be fun to watch.
I live in Madrid, Spain, and bought the vinil version of this She & Him record. It´s a vintage project, of course, and Zooey is not Aretha Franklin. But I think is beautiful, and with own material, except one Smokie Robinson´s and Beatles cover. They love the music of their parents. Is this bad?
me encanto ya que zooey es la mejor