She & Him: Volume One

Label: Merge

An immensely likable record featuring the odd pairing of actress Zooey Deschanel and indie god M. Ward. The two met on the set of a film in which she starred and Ward was brought in to help out with the soundtrack. Turns out they liked working together and soon found themselves in the studio. Their collaboration, Volume One, is an unusual hybrid of sunny, Brill Building ‘60s pop and country twang. Turns out Deschanel is no dilettante. She famously sang in the film Elf, and she shows a surprisingly wide range in vocals. And Ward, who produced the record, brings just the right touch, giving it a spare sound and letting her beguiling voice shine. He also joins her on a few tracks, most memorably on delightful, Hawaiian-tinged cover of the Beatles’ “I Should Have Known Better.” Elsewhere the record hums along unfailingly, from the delightful croon of “Take It Back” to the saccharine “Sentimental Heart.” Recommended. (Ralph Pagan)