Volume One She and Him Merge Records Rocks like: Jenny Louis, Norah Jones, Feist

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Zooey Deschanel takes her singing out of the shower and off the set of “Elf” in her recent collaboration with singer songwriter Matt Ward, She ‘ Him. But instead of singing Christmas carols, Deschanel uses her jazzy and harmonious voice to sing lead on the simple acoustic indie-folk songs of She ‘ Him’s first album, Volume One.

Though there seems to be a consistent pattern of failure when actors try to crossover into the music business, Zooey Deschanel is one of the few exceptions to the perilous method of career advancement. Volume One is a solid album incorporating a variety of genres and cover songs using only a few instruments to create 13 simple but emotional songs.

Deschanel’s smooth and straightforward voice is quite possibly Volume One’s greatest asset. She doesn’t need to mess around with dramatic, Kelly Clarkson-esque vocal gymnastics to capture the listeners’ attention. She’s able to draw them in with her simple and honest vocal style. The sincere simplicity of her voice isn’t hidden behind wailing guitars or corrected by computers, and the imperfections in her singing, laughing and scratchy dialog that make their way into the songs, make the album feel more real and emotionally appealing.

But Deschanel’s voice isn’t the only one featured on the album. On most of the songs there are back up vocals singing “ooohs,” “aaahs” and “la la las.” M. Ward also chimes in on vocals on the album’s two cover songs, “You Really Got a Hold on Me” and “I Should Have Known Better.” Ward takes turns singing with Deschanel to create charmingly casual duets.

Many of their songs, like “Change is Hard” and “Got Me” were clearly influenced by country with twangy guitar parts.

The music behind the vocals is equally natural and uncomplicated. Deschanel and Ward employed as few instruments as possible to create a very appealing and natural sound. The album mostly relies on piano and acoustic guitars with the occasional bit of percussion. They also called in session musicians Rachel Blumberg, Adam Selzer, Mike Coykendall, Tom Hagerman, Peter Broderick, Mike Mogis and Paul Brainerd to play drums, bass, strings and pedal steel on some songs to accompany Ward’s guitar playing and Deschanel’s piano.

She ‘ Him don’t limit themselves to a particular genre, which keeps the album dynamic and interesting. In addition to the songs on the album that are laced with a tinge of country, Deschanel and Ward branch out and cover several other genres. “I Was Made By You” takes on a Doo Wop sound while the albums final track, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” is an African American spiritual song from the early 1900s. They also recorded a cover of Smokey Robinson’s “You Really Got a Hold on Me,” as well as a fantastic acoustic cover of The Beatles “I Should Have Known Better.” Their willingness to vary their sound keeps the album dynamic and interesting, though there is a slight three-song slump that includes “This is Not a Test,” “Change is Hard” and “I Thought I Saw Your Face,” where the vocals start to sound repetitive. Luckily, overall the album switches it’s style and pace up enough to stay interesting.

Merge Records dropped Volume One on March 18 – it’s simple and sincere indie folk. And it’s definitely worth checking out.